Sophomore Gracelyn Rael is an aspiring student artist who incorporates art into her life by drawing every day.

“I’ve always done art, but I probably started getting into it when I was in seventh grade,” she said.

Rael is inspired by “Daniel Johnston, who is an artist and songwriter… and a lot of stuff I see in my life,” she said.

Similar to Johnston’s creations, “my art style would be… characters, but kind of in a creepy and grotesque way,” she said. Her art ranges from colorful clowns and cacti to collages including pop culture symbols.

Rael decided to transfer to La Salle because of the art program. She said that she is grateful she made the switch because shes been able to incorporate new materials. Her favorite mediums to use when drawing or painting are pen and paper, as well as acrylic paints. 

“The art class at Clackamas was very big, so [I] didn’t get a lot of one-on-one attention with the teacher,” Rael said. “[I] couldn’t really learn as much.” 

However, at La Salle, Rael said that her art teacher, Ms. Cha Asokan, is very supportive and talented. “I’ve developed a lot within the past month I have been here,” Rael said. “Ms. Cha has taught me a lot and the art program is amazing.”

Rael entered in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for the fist time last year and won two honorable mentions and a Silver Key award. She hopes to enter more competitions as she continues her art career.