As a painter, Onay’s work has transitioned from the influence of Beaux-Arts to a hyper-realism of voice. From 2000 to 2001, he participated in the workshop Antonio Eiriz, taught by Professor José Pérez Olivares. From 2010 to 2014, he worked in the Contemporary Art Workshop in Havana. His work has been featured in several personal exhibitions in Havana from 2014 to 2016. He has also participated in many collective exhibitions, including two at the Fabrica de Arte (FAC) in Havana. His work was featured in XII Havana Biennale in 2015. Onay’s works can be found in private collections in the United States, Colombia, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Spain and Cuba.

"My work is a constant reflection on the experiences accumulated throughout my past and present. Oil painting is my constructive tool, and through accumulations of objects I play with composing and opening dialogues about different current scenarios and situations, such as migration, bureaucracy, and time. The objects—often inherited from one generation to the next—are the means through which I am able to show the public my vision of contemporary realities and events. The creative process almost always begins with the drawing of an empty box; that is my starting point in each piece. It is like my blank canvas, perfect for beginning to compose my next pictorial discourse with objects. Every object is a key element, just like its placement in space: nothing is random.

In the end, when the work is finished and the viewer stands before it, each person constructs their own story, almost always very different from the one that originally gave rise to the piece."