Gray '16 at home in batter's box, art studio

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø baseball fans know Nathan (Nate) Gray ¡¯16 well. He leads the Vikings in number of hits, runs scored and stolen bases and is No. 2 on the team with a .338 batting average.

What they may not know is that Gray is just as comfortable in an art studio as he is in the batter¡¯s box.

For his Senior Inquiry project entitled ¡°The Town,¡± Gray drew three detailed scenes of Rock Island in graphite and charcoal. He says Rock Island can be viewed from two perspectives: to some it¡¯s where they attend college and to others, it¡¯s home.

For Gray, it¡¯s both.

Most American cities, large and small, have what are considered ¡°rough¡± areas, and Rock Island is no exception. Yet, as Gray shows in his drawings, he embraces all of his hometown and believes Rock Island, the ¡°good¡± and the ¡°bad,¡± has shaped him into the person he is today.

¡°Nathan uses drawing as a tool of communication understandable to anyone, and his feelings about the streets and places that he is familiar with, ring true in his work,¡± said Peter Xiao, an art professor and one of Nathan¡¯s project advisors. ¡°I am also sure that all viewers find in Nathan's drawings the honesty and gentleness that is authentically him, like I do.¡±

For his project, Gray drew 11th Street with Centennial Bridge in the background; Tim¡¯s Corner Tap, a neighborhood bar; and the football stadium at Rock Island High School, where Gray led the Rocks¡¯ team as quarterback.