From drawing on napkins to canvas, Reese Dupin ‘22  was introduced into the world of art and design by her grandfather and mother. 

“Since I was a little girl, it slowly grew to be a big part of my life in sophomore year of high school,” Dupin said. 

Surrounded by an artistic family she has learned to share this love with her mother. 

“My biggest inspiration is my mom because she opened up the world of creativity for me,” Dupin said.

She has done immense research to fulfill her impressive portfolio such as her favorite piece which is a collection of three paintings called Adorned.

“This focuses on the issue of women’s oppression around the globe. I did in-depth research on three different countries and the effect headdresses play on a woman’s role within society. I loved learning the background of each woman and the different cultures,” she said. 

Dupin is also involved in many art programs around the community

“I am a part of the art club that repainted the mural across from the police station and we are working on a new mural for inside the school. I also had the opportunity to design the Hearts of Gold shirt this past year which was super cool,” Dupin said. “I am a part of art club which repainted the mural across from the police station and we are working on a new mural for inside the school,” Dupin said. Outside of her creativeness, Dupin loves to enjoy normal high school activities. 

“I love to travel and experience new cultures because that is one of the best ways to learn about the world around you. I also enjoy playing lacrosse and hanging out with friends and family,” Dupin said. 

She is extremely balanced while passionate about different extracurriculars.

“I have never found a problem with balancing a social life with sports and art. I would say sports and personal life help me create new things because they allow for me to try and see new things,” Dupin said. 

Dupin loves to create and is inspired by external factors outside of the creative world.

“I do it for both free time and for school. I try to create any chance I get,” she said. 

She enjoys painting, sculpting, and building.

“My favorite medium is oil paints because they allow for time to experiment and change your work over the span of a couple of days,” Dupin said. She has a large portfolio of extremely successful art, as well as some upcoming ideas

“One idea I am sitting on right now plays off my love for renaissance portraits. I have always loved artists, such as Rembrandt, and the attention to detail and lighting. I am hoping to create a self-portrait using old techniques from famous renaissance artists,” she said. 

Not all may know but the art classes at East are taught by two teachers and Dupin has enjoyed all of her art curricula here.

“High school art courses are nice because they allow you to find different skills within different classes. My painting and drawing class in high school allowed me to play with a lot of mediums and rekindle my love to create pieces. Also having a mentor like Mr. Szpeig for the past two years has been extremely helpful and allowed me, someone, to bounce ideas back and forth on,” Dupin said. She has shown this appreciation by taking continuous classes here at East “Over the course of high school I have taken five art courses which have all been the foundation for my love of art,” Dupin said.

As well as classes outside of high school courses “Over the fall I was enrolled in a SCAD(Savannah College of Art and Design) design course for the semester. This was the perfect experience for me to see what college courses will indulge me in and the types of projects I would be introduced to” Dupin said. 

looking into a career in art, “I plan to incorporate art into my future since I enjoy it so much. It brings me peace and I want to have an occupation I enjoy doing. I plan to keep pushing myself to create wherever I go,” she said. As she looks in and out of state at universities, “SCAD is my top choice right now for their architecture program. SCAD has endless opportunities for creative freedom and I would be surrounded by a student body with the same drive to create,” Dupin said. 

She has already taken initiative with her passion by working outside of school at an architecture firm. 

“I am a project intern. I help architects and designers with any project they need. I archive, look at and help with past and present sites. It is a great way to help me understand what the design workforce will entail,” Dupin said. She has also created a small business for her art for peers to wear and purchase, “I have never sold any of my canvas works but I have sold the clothes I’ve designed. Almost all of my canvas works are hung up somewhere around my house. I have also given pieces to family members as gifts which can be found in their houses,” Dupin said. 

Her business has been around since two years ago, “I started a shirt business with Lucy Cavanaugh during the pandemic. We created tie-dye clothing that we handmade and delivered during the year 2020. Once things slowly got back towards normal we stopped making as much and then this past fall I found a new dye medium I wanted to try. This dye allowed me to print past pieces of my own art onto a shirt. I quickly mastered how to use this medium and began selling shirts. It was so much fun to be able to see people wearing pieces of my artwork that I knew,” Dupin said. She has been extremely successful with her passions and creativity and her worth ethic has earned many well deserved titles and awards, such as the community projects she’s accomplished. 

“​​Art allows me to relax and “paint” my feelings. It is a way for me to get away from reality and focus on how or what I am feeling in that given time,” Dupin said.