The other day, when someone asked me to describe a real artist, I pictured someone who can express anything that comes to mind and is creative enough to draw something different and creative and pretty. I couldn’t help but picture junior Adara Handley.

Handley enjoys studying and creating her own art.

“I like that it’s not right or wrong,” Handley said. “And that you can constantly change it.”

Art has been a part of Handley’s life since she was very young.

“I’ve drawn ever since I was little,” Handley said. “I would draw horses everywhere. I liked when my mom would paint and stuff so I would try doing what she would do.”

She is most inspired by Vincent Van Gogh and George Seurat and is really interested in pointalism, a style of art where you use different colored dots and strokes to create a whole image.

Handley has taken at least two art classes a year at De Soto High School since she was a freshman and plans to continue taking more when she is able to.

“I’m working on a To Kill a Mockingbird poster in my drawing class. I also like the scratchboard I did in drawing last year. It was a scratchboard drawing of a barn,” Handley said.

Two drawings from Handley’s drawing class were entered in the 2013 Merriam Art Show. She recieved an honorable mention for one of them.

“I’ve also turned artwork into the Johnson County fair and got blue and purple ribbons,” Handley said. “I’ve entered like every project I’ve ever done.”

Handley has not set any decisions in regards to her future in art., but she has considered it.

“I thought about being an art teacher but I’m not positive yet,” Handley said. “I’ll definitely keep doing it on my own for sure.”

Every artist is their own biggest critic and Handley is always striving to become a better artist.

“I like portraits of people but I’ve never been able to do them. So, I’ve been practicing humans,” Handley said. “I like to draw eyes. I guess I would like to draw the emotion in people. To be able to draw the emotions that you can see in people’s faces.”