Austintown art student receives state recognition

By Justin Wier

jwier@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

When people pass through the Vern Riffe Center for Government & the Arts in Columbus, they will see the work of an Austintown Fitch High School senior.

Wendy Liu has had her art recognized before, but she said she was ecstatic when she heard it would be part of the 2017 House of Representatives Student Art Exhibition.

Well, she was eventually ecstatic.

“The sad thing was I was so tired I was just like, ‘Oh, hey. Yeah,’” she said. “But the next morning, I was like so freaking happy I made it.”

The piece, which will represent the 59th House District, is an abstract watercolor painting of a tree consisting of mandala-like patterns. Liu said she incorporated crumpled paper towels and Sharpie to lend the piece texture. It was part of her senior portfolio titled “Childhood Dreams,” which won a Scholastic Art Gold Key award.

She named the portfolio “Childhood Dreams” because she wanted to be an artist as a child. It also has a second meaning.

“The whole portfolio was based off my imagination,” Liu said. “How things could go leaps and bounds beyond reality, and life could become so much less boring if you just let go every once in awhile and daydreamed.”

The next step in realizing her childhood dream will take her to Ohio State University, where she plans on studying animation and interactive design. She’s also considered graphic design; she wants to do something art-oriented.

“It feels like with everything I’ve done, I belong there,” Liu said. “I can’t see myself somewhere in the future where that doesn’t work out.”

Adam Leskanic, her art teacher, thinks she has what it takes. He said he feels lucky that he got to know Liu.

“She’s one of those people that are few and far between that come around every now and again,” Leskanic said. “We’ve had a couple of them floating around here, and Wendy’s one of them.”

He said she’s not just an artist; she succeeds at whatever she puts her mind toward. She couldn’t attend a reception and ceremony recognizing those whose art is in the House of Representatives exhibition because she was competing in the state Speech and Debate tournament. Liu made it to the quarterfinals in the informative category speaking about animation.

She said her dream is to work at Laika, an animation studio that made the Academy Award-nominated films “Coraline” and “Paranorman,” but she realizes success as an artist won’t come easy.

“I have to work incredibly hard and work every single day and put the best effort I have into every single one of my pieces,” Liu said. “Because I’m not satisfied with something that’s not perfect.”