This is the second issue of Hawker Highlights, where we put a spotlight on the brilliant artists that exist on the campus of Henry Ford College. In this issue I talked to Netrra Patel, a fine arts student with a love for charcoal, and Khalil Al-Rayyes, a music student who raps to inspire.

Netrra Patel

Netrra Patel is a third-year Honors Program student studying studio art. She is mostly a visual artist with graphite and charcoal being her focus. She has loved art since she was a child, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 lockdown that it became her passion. And it wasn’t until starting classes at HFC that she was introduced to charcoal and conté. “At first, they felt unfamiliar, but the rich tones, softness, and bold range of marks slowly pulled me in,” says Patel.

She explains her love for making portraits with charcoal, “I loved how it easily allowed me to control values, create smooth textures, and build realistic portraits, so it quickly became my main medium.” Patel admits that while charcoal is a very messy medium, it doesn’t bother her. She says, “It gets on your hands, smudges your face, gets stuck under your fingernails, and sometimes even stains your clothes. But honestly, those are the exact things that I love about it. It makes me feel like an artist in the most real way,”

As for what drives her to create art, “For me, art is a bit of everything.” Whether she is bored, feeling down, and needs to elevate her mood, or just feels like creating something, art is what she turns to. “Art fits into whatever space I need it to, whether that’s comfort, fun, or self-expression.”

Looking forward, Patel aspires to continue to build her artistic voice by drawing from her roots. “My home country is India, and I grew up surrounded by vibrant colors, tradition, and cultural symbols, which have always been a part of my life.” She adds, “And now that I’m living in the US, I want to celebrate Indian art through my work and carve out a space for myself that still feels connected to home.” She also wants to explore other art mediums and is open to different experiences.

Netrra Patel encourages future art students, “not to compare yourself with others.” She says, “Everyone works at a different pace. Take your time to explore your own style and work on it.”

Khalil Al-Rayyes

Khalil Al-Rayyes is a first-year music student at HFC. He grew up in upstate New York where he did choir and listened to the musicians who would later become his inspirations. “I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Eminem, Linkin Park, all the artists who weren’t afraid to be emotional in different ways,” Al-Rayyes says. “But it wasn’t until my teens that music became something deeper.”

As a teenager Al-Rayyes became connected with Hip-Hop, and related to the vulnerability of the lyrics. “That’s when everything clicked for me,” he says, “I started writing songs at 15, and from that point on I knew I wanted to become an artist and tell my own story.”

Al-Rayyes explains how he uses songwriting as a form of self-expression and storytelling. “It’s a way to make sense of the chaos I grew up with,” he says, “Every project is a chapter of my life, not just songs, but emotional snapshots.”

He is currently working on an EP titled “UNBREAKABLE.” Described as “the first chapter” of his journey, Al-Rayyes says he draws from his childhood experiences and moments of doubting himself for inspiration. He explains, “The whole project is really about strength, healing, and the parts of my story that shaped me.” For Al-Rayyes, “Each song reflects a different side of overcoming things that were supposed to break me.”

Al-Rayyes details the process of making the EP as being very emotional but motivating. “I write everything myself, and for some of the songs I even got more involved in shaping the production. Most of the time, though, I’m really focused on capturing the feeling, the message, and making sure every song says something real.” He concludes, “working on it is not just about making music, it’s about putting my truth into something that might give strength to myself and to other people as well.”

As for the future, Al-Rayyes says he wants to continue the story he is telling and build out an entire universe with his music about his “growth from my early struggles, to heartbreak, to healing, and eventually finding peace and redemption.” He emphasizes how he wants his songs to be honest and vulnerable, and to resonate with people. He wants to create “The kind of music people come back to when they feel lost or misunderstood.”

Khalil Al-Rayyes says, “Ultimately, I want to inspire people who come from similar situations to believe that they can rise, evolve, and turn their pain into something powerful.”