Every year, Niles West has its Halloween Art Show, showcasing Halloween themed pieces made by West students. Senior Jason Lupas has been taking art since his freshman year and has been a past contributor to the event. The NWN spoke with Lupas to learn more about him and this year’s art show that takes place tonight at 6:30.

NWN: What inspired you to take art?

Lupas: I really got into art freshman year,. That’s when I really got serious about it. I was excited for Toy Story 3 and I thought how neat it would be if I could animate like [that]. I was set to go into animation back then. When Pixar started getting bad with “Cars 2” and “Brave,” I was disillusioned. I guess now [animating] is just not as appealing anymore. Now I’m looking more toward illustration thanks to my friend, Tony Soldo, introducing me to comics. Comic book illustrations are my new Pixar. They’re really appealing.

NWN: What do you like to do in your free time?

Lupas: I like to collect a lot of Nintendo 64 games. I like to hang out with friends and be funny. I like to make music with my friend Nick. I like to live life and live loud with my friends. My friends are cool, although they’re mean to me sometimes. It’s tough to be a teen.

NWN: Your country needs you! Why?

Lupas: I wear really funny shirts. It’s fun and Robert Marohn does it too.

NWN: What are you planning to do in college?

Lupas: I look forward to do art in college. I’m having trouble deciding where I want to go, but I trust that by January 1st, I will have decided on where to apply. Wink, wink.

NWN: Where does the inspiration for the Halloween art pieces come from?

Lupas: We get 3rd graders’ drawings from Lincoln Junior High and they submit their illustrations of their monster creations. What we do is we interpret those drawings and recreate them in our own original style.I’m submitting a drawing of a purple cow-snake. I’ve developed a cartoon-y style over the past two years and so I applied it to that. It’s always fun to see the kids’ faces when they see their work recreated.

NWN: How do you think Wests’ Art program has benefited you?

Lupas: You can get access to a lot of free materials and mediums, like paint and colored pencils. I sure will regret not taking advantage of these resources in college.

The Halloween Art show event will be on Wednesday, Oct. 24 on the auditorium balcony.  Art teacher, John Zilewicz, adds his own thoughts on the art show.

“It’s a good jumpstarter for young students to see their work in a gallery, especially by high school student artists,” Zilewicz said. “It’s a show that not only brings excitement for young students, but it also shows what they can accomplish if they continue art. It’s our biggest reason of doing this: to show kids what’s possible. If we can show them that, then mission accomplished.”