She was young, but not so young that she was below the age of 18. When I looked at her two words came to mind… Melissa Gentile. Melissa is a senior at Scituate High School but is already gifted with natural artistic capability. Looking back at her family tree, the only possible art genes she might have inherited dates back 200 years with ancestors in Greece, around the time of her favorite artist Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh is known for his expressionism and color. Although she still has both her ears, Van Gogh’s influence on Melissa’s art comes across with her artistic choices.

“My favorite thing about painting is being able to create stuff out of your mind, seeing a picture in your brain and being able to translate it onto paper.” Melissa shares her finished products frequently on Instagram. Her posts vary from notebook doodles of her family members and her interests (like her portrait of British actor Benedict Cumberbatch) to detailed depictions of whatever new idea she may have. Based on her Instagram, what pops into her mind is typically drawings of the characters from the Grammy-winning Disney movie Frozen, as well as a few playful photographs of her dog here and there.

Melissa does not just limit herself to the visual arts, she is also a talented actress. She recently played the role of Hermione, wife to the King Leontes, in Scituate High School Drama’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale titled The Tragedy of King Leontes. The play went on to be featured at the METG Festival in Attleboro. Friend and senior Allie Benkart admires her talents, “She’s so dedicated and hardworking in everything she does, especially her artwork. I’m obsessed with her artwork. It can be so realistic but then she can also draw cartoons like no other.” Her love for animation and acting will be fitting this coming fall. She plans to attend the University of Central Florida in Orlando for animation and intern at Disney while there.