When in class, the teachers are the ones in charge; however, when painting art, Adrian Berger is in complete control. 

According to Adrian, art has always been an important part of his life. Although he finds inspiration and support in others when needed, Berger has always had a knack for it himself.

“[Art] was something I was good at from a young age. It made me feel happy and free to create things,” Adrian said.

Even though he has been painting from a young age, his mother, Tiffany Berger, has followed him every step of the way.

“He was not very artistic as a kid; he didn’t really like to do art, surprisingly. [But then] in elementary school, we put him in an art class and he made some beautiful work,” Tiffany said. “He really found it as something he enjoyed.”

Adrian sees art as something only he can create when he is painting. This doesn’t mean he will ignore others’ advice, but rather that he enjoys creating it by himself.

“When I paint, I feel as though I have full control over what I’m doing. Nobody can really tell me what to do,” Adrian said.

Despite not being very well-known, Adrian still affects the people surrounding him, just as famous artists affect millions of people around the world.

“I admire how he takes time to be creative; he’ll set himself up at dusk and just be busy out there in his own world doing his work, and I think we should all take time to be creative,” Tiffany said.

According to Tiffany, Adrian’s art has allowed him to connect with his aunt through their similar interests.

“His aunt Tara is an artist and she does graphic art, multimedia art, fine art and all other kinds of art,” Tiffany said. “The two of them can really speak a common language. I think that’s supportive for him.”

Adrian can be as creative as he wants with his art and create his own displays to help inspire other young artists, despite only seeing a limited amount of real-life exhibits.

“Of course, as an artist, I’ve been to the standard RBUSD events that they have at school every year, but not any professional exhibits,” Adrian said. “But I have started an online art portfolio on Instagram called @royal_artwash that I hope to stretch out to new people.”

With numerous to choose from, Berger can use many different art mediums when he is painting despite having some favorites.

“My favorite is oil painting; for instance, oil paint is able to stay wet for much longer periods of time, so I can work on much more detailed and sophisticated pieces that may take more than a few days or weeks to complete. Oil also tends to have more pigment and vibrant colors than other mediums,” Adrian said.

Every artist is different in their own ways; some are very similar to one another, and some have completely opposite opinions or styles when painting.

“What’s really cool about what [Adrian] does is that [his art] is pretty unique to him. He’s not trying to be commercial, and he’s not trying to make something everyone else on the block would like to see,” Tiffany said.

When Adrian is creating art, he is in a whole other world, escaping anything going on around him.

“Most of the time I feel in control, that I’m able to just lock myself out from the outside world and allow my hands to go to town on the canvas. I think that lets me turn my most abstract and complex thoughts into things that can’t be expressed with words,” Adrian said.

Finishing something important is a big relief for some, but when it comes to art, Berger has a whole different perspective. 

“A piece of art is never finished; it can be morphed by the original artist, by the environment, or by other people. So since it’s never really finished, I don’t know what finishing a painting feels like,” Adrian said.

Older artists have been a strong inspiration for many generations, this is why they are loved so much, but an artist will always like their own style more than anyone else’s. 

“Never once have I started painting and finished exactly how I pictured it at the beginning. That’s something I love about art. I always create something I’ve never seen before,” Adrian said. “I think a dream collection isn’t one thing, but rather a collection of things that can be achieved by millions. Every artist can be very inspiring in their own way.”