As students walk around the halls of the school, various types of art made by peers scatter across the walls. Junior Reyhan Kas has contributed to this colorful, lively, and creative side of NVD through her unique paintings and sketches. 

Reyhan moved to Closter from Turkey four years ago, and in that time, has learned to speak English, as well as further her art career. Her love for art began very early on.

“I have been doing art since I was younger. I did many sketching classes and I enjoyed putting together different things. I started painting and doing sketches later on in middle school,” said Reyhan.  

As she got older, her art became more than just shading and drawing shapes together. 

“I have done speeches on human rights and written pieces: which is also expressed in my art in abstract and direct ways. I love debates and expressing my opinions and art is a second outlet for me other than writing,” Reyhan said.

Some people may see art just as a bunch of colors that make up a pretty picture, however Reyhan proves that there is so much more to art than just what the viewer sees. Reyhan is a huge advocate for making art that truly means something. In one of her pieces titled “Hayat,” which means life in Turkish, she embedded Arabic and Turkish song lyrics into it. 

“The picture depicts past experiences: symbols referring to trauma and healing. The song inspired me to express the hope and confidence I had in myself that I used to get through hard times,” said Reyhan.

While she has come so far in her artistic career, Reyhan has faced some challenges along the way. Just like having a mental block with writing, people can have an artistic block. Reyhan is an extremely talented artist, however she struggled with finding a unique style. She overcame this challenge by using inspiration from other artists and slowly adding her own personal touch.

“The hardest part of my art was creating an original style and I’m still working on improving it. So it is mostly original. I want people to see the art and know that it is Reyhan’s (I love when my art is associated with my personality and be perceived as original) ” said Reyhan. 

Through her challenges, she is able to find goals to push herself to be a better artist and person for the future. Reyhan continues to do so as high school is coming to an end for her and even while art may not be in her future, she still uses what she has learned from it to be the person she is today. 

“I have other plans for college that I intend to follow so art will most likely stay as a hobby for me… [Art] has allowed me to be more open about my experience and understand myself. It didn’t have any bad affects on my life. It is a way of growing and maturing for me and will always be,” said Reyhan. 

Art can be interpreted in various ways by different people however for Reyhan, it has always been about growing and maturing. Her distinctive and unique art is what makes her stand out compared to other artists.