For the month of May, we are featuring an outstanding artist, Lea Onayan, who excels as a proficient painter and competent ballet dancer. As a senior at Ossining High School, Lea incorporates and engages in one of her most skillful hobbies of painting on a daily basis during her art classes of AP Studio Art 1 and Painting 1. She as well continues to transcend her artistic abilities through dance practice every day after school as she has become a member of the Senior Company within the Westchester Ballet Company located right here in her hometown, Ossining. It is evident that Lea has a prominent artistic ability as one of her own paintings has been chosen to be exhibited down at the Ossining Waterfront, a mural that she herself will undertake. As her high school years come to an end, Lea, being an experienced dancer, has shown that she incorporates and seeks to follow a profession in doing what she loves as she is headed to Marymount Manhattan College to complete a Bachelor’s Degree within the Dance Body, Science, & Motion Program. Following is an interview The Current had with artist Lea Onayan.

TC: What influenced you to take such a demanding course such as AP Studio Art 1?

LO: Other than Ms. Shams’ great encouragement for me to take AP Studio Art I, I enjoy painting, as well as drawing, very much. At first I wasn’t too sure about taking an AP during my senior year in high school hoping to layback with work, but Ms. Shams convinced me and I was ready to excel and do something I love.

TC: When did you begin to fall in love with painting?

LO: I wasn’t always a painter. Before I took AP and Painting 1, my sophomore and junior years of high school I took Drawing 1 and 2. It wasn’t until this year that I found out my preference of painting over drawing. I have always known that I wanted to paint and draw since I was little.

TC: Besides following a career in dancing, do you see yourself seeking a career in painting?

LO: Other than working on my in school projects, I also paint at home with acrylic. I definitely do see myself in the future painting primarily as a hobby but you never know, things happen.

TC: When did you begin to dance?

LO: I began to dance ever since I was 2 years old. Currently I am an Advanced student at the Logrea Dance Academy.

TC: What piece of artwork are you most proud of and what do you prefer to paint with?

LO: The artwork I am most proud of would be my piece of hands which I used for my concentration of human compassion through touch for AP. For my AP projects I paint with acrylic and oil paint but I prefer oil since it is way easier to blend and my finished project almost always looks better.

To end the interview, The Current asked Ms. Shams, AP Studio Art 1 and Painting 1 teacher, why she suggested that Lea take AP Studio Art 1. Ms. Shams stated, ¨Well, last year Lea completed Drawing 1 and she had also completed Drawing 2 as a sophomore. She really enjoys art and I find that students who enjoy taking art and have taken more than level 1 courses do really well in an AP class because they have the body of work they need to complete the large amount of work. Lea was a perfect candidate¨.