The aroma of wooden pencils mixed with the clay-like scent of crayons and smell of wet paper from water colors surround the air within Art Adventure, an art studio that senior Ruby Diamond-Peacock knows very well.

“I started art classes at age seven,” Diamond-Peacock said. “So, that was when I really started to sit down and focus on my art and produce quality pieces.”

Diamond-Peacock’s infatuation with art began much earlier than her official lessons did. Throughout her life, she always saw art as a source of inspiration and freedom. This natural draw to art is what pushed Diamond-Peacock to begin taking art in school in addition to her classes at Art Adventure. Now a second-year student, Diamond-Peacock reflects on how she got her start.

“I was always interested in [art] and I was always drawing at home,” Diamond-Peacock said. “My parents wanted to give me a greater range of materials and be able to actually learn how to compose a picture with color and form and everything.”

Through the years, Diamond-Peacock has experimented with different mediums and styles. The experimentation has allowed the young artist to figure out what forms she likes best, while still dabbling in other forms to challenge herself.

“I’m a very detailed painter, so that’s my favorite part of a painting,” Diamond-Peacock said. “I don’t know what my style is yet, but I am really into detail because I think it makes pieces better in their composition. Some painters are into the overall picture versus nailing all the fine bits, which is cool too, but that’s not really my style.” 

While art is a creative outlet for Diamond-Peacock, she has taken her art to another level in recent months when she received her first commission. A commission is an act of paying for a particular piece, which added pressure for Diamond-Peacock. Despite the challenges she faced, Diamond- Peacock believes the commission allowed her to push herself artistically.

“Recently I sold my first painting, it was a commission so I spent a lot of time on that because it was a cat and I had never done a cat before so I just kind of threw myself into it and it turned out really good so I was proud of that,” Diamond-Peacock said.

Even though Diamond-Peacock has been immersed in the art world for over 10 years, creating art is not something she believes she will pursue in the future. However, the form of expression has still impacted Diamond-Peacock, in regards to her plans after high school.

“I want to do art conservation because I still get to work on paintings and preserve parts of history,” Diamond-Peacock said. “Such a big part of my childhood was going to museums and experiencing the art first hand so I want other generations to be able to do that as well.”