Artist of the Week: Ashley Ruszkiewicz
Warwick Valley High School senior Ashley Ruszkiewicz began her art journey drawing characters from books and games on her own as a child. Over the years, Ashley has evolved as an artist, exploring a variety of media and continuing to answer the muse. While Ashley says that art is something she’s “just kept going with” since those childhood sketchbooks, her obvious love of creating and spirit of experimentation tell the real story. Ashley sees her digital art as a form of self-expression and is a passionate artist whose eye for the technical, the abstract and the whimsical combine to create a unique artistic vision and voice.
“Ashley is an incredibly dedicated and talented student who shows remarkable versatility across all artistic mediums, with a particular strength in digital work,” said WVHS art teacher Kristen Spano. “Her creativity shines through in every piece, and her use of vanishing points, lighting, and color make her artwork deeply engaging and memorable.”
When Ashley started high school, she took Foundations in Art, a full-year honors level art course for incoming freshmen with a high interest in the arts. To be part of the class, students must have a recommendation from their middle school art teacher. Foundations provided Ashley with opportunities to create a variety of art pieces in a variety of media, and she realized how much she enjoyed working with clay. She has continued working with clay as part of the Art Club and in her Portfolio & Art Careers class with Ms. Spano.
“I like to work with my hands,” Ashley said. “I don’t get to do it often, but I like it. In portfolio class last year, we did a ceramics project and made art dolls, and I really enjoyed that.”
Ashley’s love of ceramics, however, has not overtaken drawing and illustration as her favorites. Ashley made the move from drawing with traditional media to digital illustration in the Covid era. There are a lot of things that Ashley loves about working on her drawings digitally, but is quick to point out one benefit in particular.
“In art, mistakes are part of the journey,” Ashley said, adding with a smile, “but I like digital because they don’t necessarily have to be permanent!”
Ashley’s latest pieces for Portfolio class fall under a common theme – toads!
“I’ve loved toads and frogs my whole life; bugs… everything,” Ashley said. “The toad thing started and kind of stuck. I started giving them party hats and stuff like that. I know a lot of people don’t like toads, but I love them.”
Toads have been making frequent appearances in Ashley’s work lately, but she keeps her reason for featuring them to herself, leaving the story behind each piece to be filled in by the viewer’s own imagination. Ashley delights in hearing people’s own ideas and theories behind her work.
It is safe to say that, at least in part, Ashley’s inspiration for drawing party-hatted Bufonidae comes from her love of nature. Ashley is a legacy member of the Future Farmers of America Club, which she has been involved with since middle school.
“My brother was in the club. My whole family has been at one point or another,” said Ashley. “It’s a great club, because it encourages building new skills and helps you become a stronger leader and someone who can work on a team. FFA deals with a lot of topics we wouldn’t normally cover, so you learn a lot.”
Ashley maintains a personal garden of 60-plus plants and her family (some of whom are the aforementioned FFA alumnus) own a farm, so her experience with farming, animals and nature is extensive. The farm even donated the pumpkins that the Art Club used to compete in this year’s Jack O’Lantern Walk at Crystal Springs resort. ICYMI, the Warwick Valley carvers won again this year, earning their third straight title. Ashley also sights FFA for helping her develop interpersonal skills that she’s applied to other aspects of her life.
“I’ve always been a shy kid,” she explained. “Recently, I’ve found myself talking to people at these different events and enjoying myself, so that’s a good thing. A lot of what happens with FFA really helps me just get out there.”
Ashley plans to study in the fields of environmental science and/or art in college. While she is working on collegiate aspirations in her classes and clubs, she is also prepping for an important step in community service. Ashley has been a volunteer with the Pine Island Ambulance Corp. for the past three years. She will be taking her EMT test soon.
Good luck, Ashley!
