Student profile: Gillnetter cartoonist Rachel Nearis

Rachel Nearis at the 2017 Honors Art exhibition

CAROLINE ENOS and OWEN BRYAN
June 5, 2017

For senior Rachel Nearis, an honors art student and resident cartoonist for The Gillnetter, art is more than just a hobby.

“I think I enjoy it so much because I can express how I’m feeling and what I’m thinking,” said Nearis.

Nearis’s work has been awarded numerous Scholastic Art awards from The Boston Globe and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and has led her to be recognized as one of the most outstanding artists at GHS.

“Rachel is a pretty special artist because she can draw right out of her imagination without reference photos. When she uses reference photos her detail is out of this world!” said GHS art teacher Lorrinda Cerrutti. “She is heavily influenced by cartoon artists. She has a great sense of humor which she is able to incorporate into her illustrations.”

Coming from an creative background, Nearis has been immersed in art her entire life.

“I grew up in a really artistic family, so I picked up drawing really early on,” said Nearis. “My brother was always insanely talented so I practiced a lot trying to keep up with him.”

Many of her pieces emphasize natural beauty, while others are comical and satirize modern day issues and politics.

“Not every piece has really deep meaning,” said Nearis. “I also just like working hard at improving my skill.”

Nearis has also been an active member in the GHS community outside of art class. She is the treasurer for the class of 2017, captain of the girls soccer team, a board member for the Interact Club, a member of the National Honors Society, and ran track as a freshman and sophomore. She will be attending UMASS Amherst in the fall.

“I’m undeclared at the moment, but I definitely plan to incorporate art into what I do with the rest of my life,” said Nearis. “Right now I’m really interested in architecture, but graphic design or even illustration might be what I pursue.”

Regardless of what Nearis pursues later on, one thing will always remain clear.

“Her talent is exceptional,” said Cerrutti.

Here are all of the pieces Nearis has done for The Gillnetter during her time at GHS, as well as several pieces that have been featured on the website: