Although Sage Creek is known for its academics, there are many students whose artistic talents blossom in equal measure through the abundance of creative electives. 

Freshman Kayla O’Neal has a love of art that stems from when she was a child.

“I used to draw with Crayola markers, crayons, pencils, just anything I could find,” O’Neal said, “And I never stopped.”

O’Neal’s liking with these art supplies evolved into a serious hobby involving skilled mediums, the type of art and supplies used by an artist. 

Her love of visual arts also transitioned into a liking of other forms of arts. Not only does she have a liking for painting, but she’s emerged herself into the world of sewing. 

“It allows me to express myself and my creativity,” O’Neal said. 

 She’s not sure yet what her future as an artist will manifest into.  Ideally, she hopes to work in some field of design.

Ever since sophomore Elizaveta Turovets was a toddler, Turovets mother who is also an artist, has been helping grow and hone her art skills.

“My favorite medium of art is acrylic paint,” Turovets said, “it’s fun and easy to work with.” 

She also enjoys working with inks.

Although Turovets doesn’t plan to pursue a career in art, she wants to keep it as a side hustle and hobby. Not only is art a stress reliever for Turovets, but she also explains why she enjoys it. 

“I can make things that make other people happy which is one of the best feelings in the world.”

Junior Skylar Smigels has always loved art ever since she was a child. 

“I’ve been into art for as long as I can remember,” Smigels said. “I really like traditional art like painting and markers, a close second is digital.” 

Smigles shed some extremely enlightening views onto how she creates her art, along with the truth behind the cost of her art.

“You don’t need big, expensive art supplies, you can just have a pencil and paper,” Smigels said, “there’s no constraints, you can do whatever you want and no one can stop you from making anything you want to.”

Smigels ideally plans to pursue art as a career but is wary of choosing a specific pathway. 

“I’ve thought about becoming a number of different artistic things like a tattoo artist or an animator, but none of it’s really stuck,” Smigels said. 

Although she’s not certain of a specific career, Smigels still aspires to work hard to study in the art field. 

Not only is senior Tiffany Levya an illustrator for the cartoons showcased in several of “The Sage” articles, but she’s also contributed to the mural located in the front office as you enter the school, and holds the position of president for the Community Arts Club.

Levya dabbles in several different media forms, but she plans to apply her hard-earned skills to the animation field. 

“I’d love to work on a PBS Kids show or some kind of cartoon for children to learn history,”  Levya said.

 She already has a jump start to her career as an animator, as Levya runs an animation production team online with students from all over the world including Canada, Argentina, and various parts of the United States.

“I absolutely adore digital art and it’s something that’s become attuned to me now,” Levya said. 

Other than digital art, her strong suit lies with watercolor paints. 

“Watercolor will forever be my home,” she said. “It’s something I’ve been loving for the past five years.”

Her love for art comes from how well it can express emotions and events. 

“If you look back in history, you’ll see art in the very beginning of documented human history. Because the thing about it is that art is just a thing that humans do naturally,” Levya said, “At the end of the day arts just something that’s fun.”

All of these talented individuals use their skills to create beautiful and unique pieces that are one of a kind. Their hard work and dedication to each art piece is typically recognized and displayed by the VAPA department at different district-wide events. These artist’s works show their love and dedication to the subject in a truly imaginative and original way.