Profiles

Freshman Ryan Hu dazzles with impressive artwork

Darren Shapiro, staff writer|January 5, 2021

Freshman Ryan Hu begins sketching his next piece in his art journal.

Ryan Hu is far more than your typical high school freshmen. He is an artist, and a rather good one at that. Hu has multiple hobbies that he likes to partake in with friends and family including basketball, shoe collecting and skateboarding. Although he enjoys participating in these activities, the one activity that has gained him the most recognition is his ability to create beautiful art.

For Hu, art comes easily and naturally. Whenever Hu creates a drawing, painting, or mix of both, his artwork looks like a photograph of the real life image he was basing his work off of. He does not miss a single detail in his drawings as he is focused on producing his highest quality of work every time.

He got into art when he was in kindergarten by coloring and drawing different types of figures on paper. By the time he was in second grade, everyone at Stone Mill Elementary School recognized his talent. He was always chosen to draw and paint pictures for school events and was even chosen to paint a permanent mural on one of the school walls. No one could have guessed that the painting was done by a fourth grader at the time, as it looked like it was painted by an art professional.

When talking to Hu about his talent in art, he tends to brush off any questions or compliments about his artwork. He has always been humble when receiving awards or getting recognition for his artwork.

Hu did not originally grow up in America, as he moved here from China before first grade. Art was always a way Hu could fit in amongst students at Stone Mill, being that his peers were in awe of his incredible artwork. “Art used to be a hobby for me, but as I got older I recognized how much skill I had,” Hu said.

This realization led Hu to devote more time inside and outside of school to improving his artwork and technique for different types of art. Whether it is drawing, painting or sculpting things out of clay, Hu has always had the ability to do all forms of art brilliantly.

As Hu has gotten older he has developed new hobbies that he devotes time to throughout the week. He said he only spends about three to six hours a week doing artwork as his schedule is not structured and his plans can change.

Hu said he does not believe art to be his future profession, but he hopes to always have art as a hobby that one day he can pass down to future generations.