Nearly two years after the Humane Society of Ventura County shut its doors and stopped accepting donations due to Covid, the Ojai shelter has adopted the beautiful artwork of OVS alum Stephany Nostrant.
As a second-year art student at OVS, Stephany took AP Studio Art 2D design and made her AP portfolio a collection of scratchboard animal etchings.
A senior at the time, she was a part of the Humane Society club and drew inspiration from seeing and playing with the animals.
“I always loved going to see the animals,” she said. “It was always so fun to go see them, happy despite their circumstances. It was incredibly moving to see.”
Stephany produced two etchings, a pig and a dog that she saw and photographed at the Humane Society. Those pieces were among six other etchings she created to complete her AP portfolio. The work earner her a five on the AP exam, the highest possible score.
Today Stephany is studying business at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. She was excited to learn that her etchings of animals from the Humane Society were finally able to be donated by her art teacher, Chia Hersk, on October 16.
And now her etchings sit upon the walls of the Humane Society.
Though she was saddened that she wasn’t able to be there when her art was donated, she was happy that they finally got the art that she intended to give to them two long years ago.
“It just happened out of nowhere,” she said. “When my friend sent me the photo of them with the art I just couldn’t stop grinning.”