Lilith Ohannessian is a Canadian artist who was born in Yerevan, Armenia. It was then part of the former Soviet Union, and freedom of expression in any form was severely restricted. Nevertheless, she found refuge in the study of biology, which presented her with means of connecting with nature's own creativity.

She immigrated to Montreal, Canada, at the age of 20 where she continued her studies in biology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Sir George Williams University, now Concordia University. In her first job as research assistant with McGill University she used light and electron microscopes as tools of investigation. Here she could observe the symbiosis of living organisms, or the inexorable interrelation, vitality, and somewhat veiled simplicity of life.

Initially, her art developed out of this understanding and was inspired by the organic shapes of the microscopic world, by plant and animal forms, and by the human figure. In 1986 she graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art.

She continued her work as a scientist after moving to Ottawa with her young family, in 1989. She practised her art whenever time permitted. The opportunity to study sumi-e, or Japanese brush painting, came when she met and studied with the noted artist Tomoko Kodama, whose breathing brush method opened new means of self-expression.

Health challenges has lead her to other Eastern philosophies and practices in addition to sumi-e, such as tai chi, Taoism and Zen Buddhism.

Using their teachings, Lilith developed her unique style. Her human figure drawings are done in graphite pencil, or ink with graphite, where the emphasis is on capturing the mood or energy in a minimalist way. She uses spare, suggestive outlines and shades to emphasize the contrasts between dark and light -  yin and yang energies. Her paintings are in sumi-e style, based on classic Chinese and Japanese calligraphic strokes. She aims at rendering the spirit, or chi, rather than the semblance of an object or person. Her growing experience reveals to her more of the parallels that exist between tai chi, art and life.