Mepham High School Student's Works Displayed in Manhattan Gallery

Denise Losee, a Mepham High School junior, has always had a passion for art, so it was no surprise that her works were selected to be displayed in the Usdan Center for the Performing Arts' "First Class" show at the Lobby Gallery in Manhattan this month.

"They used five of my paintings," the 16-year-old said. "They were portraits, gesture drawings and still lifes."

Losee's works will also be displayed at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville until March 22.

The young arrist said that she loved to draw and paint since she was a little girl.

"I started drawing when I was four, but I really started to get into it in the fourth grade," she said. " My dad also inspired me. He is an artist too."

On a recent day, Losee sat in the art center of Mepham High School and worked on her piece, "Love Will Always Shine Through," a drawing dedicated to her grandmother who passed away from Alzheimer's disease.

"It is a piece that is about Alzheimer's and my grandmother," she said. "My grandfather died before her and she always remembered the love she had for him even when she could not remember anything else."

Losee's art teacher, Christine Cane, said that her student is very dedicated to her craft.

"She is hardworking and a conceptual thinker," Cane said. "She takes an exceptionally mature approach to her work."

Losee has started to think about her future and art will be a major part of it.

"I will continue draw and paint as a hobby," she said. "But I will go into either fashion or interior design."