For the month of December, The Current is featuring senior artist Lauren Herran as Artist of the Month. Lauren excels as a well-known and prominent artist at Ossining High School. Her dedication to art can be seen through the numerous art course enrollment. Lauren has already taken SUNY Drawing 1, AP Studio Art: Drawing as an independent study, Math in Architecture, and currently Intro to Engineering, and AP Studio Arts 2, which she will submit her 24 pieces to the CollegeBoard in May for the AP Studio Art: 2D Design credit. She even pursues artwork outside of school, seen through her enrollment in several drawing and architecture workshops, and attending a pre-college architecture course this summer at Fashion Institute of Technology named 3D Model Making. Following is an interview with creator Lauren Herran.

TC: What is your preferred medium to work with?

LH: If I am painting, lately I have enjoyed working with oil. But my new favorite is to paint with ink wash, which I seek to continue to explore and master. I like to use pen a lot in my artwork. But I like to add flavor to my artwork by adding gold metallic paint in my pieces.

Artwork made by Lauren Herran displaying her use of gold metallic paint.

TC: What do you focus on when approaching a new art piece?

LH: I like to create art that depict messages behind their creation. I like to create artwork that only I know the meaning behind of, and I like to receive input based on the perspectives of others to gain feedback. Last year, my AP art concentration was a series of artwork focused on a variation of pathways, with metaphorical meanings behind different paths.

Artwork made by Lauren Herran for her pathway concentration

TC: Where has your artwork been displayed?

LH: Most recently, my artwork was displayed at First Village Coffee in Ossining, NY. The exhibit was set up between the owner, Luis, and my art teacher, Ms. Shams. I sold many of my artworks displayed over the short time period there. Other than First Village, my artwork has been displayed in school showcases at Ossining High School, an annual Ossining UFSD student art exhibition at the Ossining Public Library, and at the Regional High School Student Art (StArt) Exhibit at the Osilas Gallery at Concordia College both my junior and senior year.

Some of Lauren’s artwork displayed at First Village Coffee

TC: What are some of your artistic achievements?

LH: I have attained numerous artistic achievements. These include recognition awards for displaying my artwork at Concordia College, and an award for winning the student mural competition, in which I designed a mural that was selected among many competitors to be displayed at the Ossining Recreation Center. In this project, my art classmates and I hand-painted a mural capturing Ossining

Mural painted at the Ossining Recreation Center by Lauren and OHS art students. Design created by Lauren Herran.

TC: What is your next step?

LH: Currently I am finishing my architecture portfolio, which consists of projects of all mediums (drawings, paintings, 3D models, mixed media). I will submit my portfolio to my colleges/universities, as I seek to become an architect. The arts will continue to be my specialty, regardless of whichever career I chose.

3-D project made by Lauren for her portfolio.