Sophomore Maliyah Douglas first felt drawn to art in kindergarten. “I had a really nice art teacher, so I enjoyed doing it then,” she said. “My aunt also influenced my art. She gave me a lot of coloring books as a child, and we were always going to museums with each other, so I feel like that’s what really inspired me.”
Visual Arts Department Chair Katie Burnett has played a key role in Maliyah’s artistic journey throughout her time at KO. “Ms. Burnett is a great teacher, and you should definitely take her painting class or any of her art classes,” Maliyah advised. “She’s definitely by far my favorite art teacher ever.”
With Ms. Burnett’s guidance, Maliyah has enjoyed dipping her toes into a variety of artistic methods. “My favorite medium would probably be drawing,” she said. “This year and last year, I dove into painting, and I might like that medium a little more. I also like watercolor a lot. Ms. Burnett got me into that.”
Recently, Maliyah had her artwork displayed in the KO gallery, showcasing the pieces she’d created in the after-school art program. “The winter after-school art program has definitely inspired art in general for me,” she said. “Ms. Burnett’s taking us to museums and different art galleries, and I feel like we’re able to be very creative with the art that we do.”
Maliyah appreciates the freedom that comes along with creativity. “I love art,” she reflected. “It calms me. If I have art in my day with all the other stressful classes, like math and science, I feel like it’s a releaser. It’s kind of carefree; there’s really no stress to it, so I enjoy it.”
In the future, Maliyah looks forward to exploring graphic design more. “I took a graphic design course that I really liked,” she said. “I got to do my own logos for posters and stuff, which was fun and creative. I enjoyed that a lot.” When she’s not working on her newest piece, Maliyah enjoys baking and plays on the varsity soccer team at KO.
Maliyah offered advice for those who might feel some apprehension about expressing themselves creatively. “I would say just go for it,” she said. “There’s a lot of creativity within art, and you don’t have to be perfect. There’s no reason to stress or say that your art isn’t good enough or you don’t like it because it doesn’t look this way or that way. You can interpret art any way and you can always improve.”
We wish Maliyah the best with her future artistic creations!
