If you were to walk into the art room here at Niles West, you’d see various work of art. There would be portraits of people, abstract paintings, sculptures, and sketches hanging brightly on the walls. In the corner of the room, your eyes would fall upon a tall, sandy haired boy with his hands drenched in paper mache, turning imagination into reality.

For junior Brenden O’Shaughnessy, art was just a hobby until he came to Niles West and was introduced to the many art classes available that went beyond his wildest dreams.

“In middle school we had art class, but it wasn’t very good. I’ve always liked art, but I really took it seriously when I came to Niles West,” said O’Shaughnessy.

At Niles West, O’Shaughnessy was introduced to many forms of art. He discovered he didn’t have to commit to a certain type of art but rather expanded his knowledge and tried new forms.

“I do paper mache and watercolor and ink work, but I don’t do sketching because I’m left handed and it smudges,” he said.

Unlike most people, O’Shaughnessy wasn’t introduced to art, he stumbled upon it all by himself and takes great pride in that.

“I never really had anyone introduce me to art, it’s just something that I found all on my own,” he said.

Currently, O’Shaughnessy is taking AP art and plans on taking ceramics soon after. Through his classes, O’Shaughnessy discovered what kind of art he liked and incorporated that into his work.

“Having an actual art class in my schedule forces to me to do my art in a good way. It helps me become a better artist. I really like classical and retro art. When I’m working on a piece, I kind of blend the two time periods together,”O’Shaghnessy said.

With encouragement from his parents, O’Shaughnessy plan on pursuing art in college.

“I think I’m going to pursue art in college because I can’t see myself doing anything other than art. Even thought it stresses me out it makes me happy at the same time. I’m a perfectionist so I have to be in “the zone” when I do my art work,” O’Shaughnessy said, laughing.