The beauty in which art is created demonstrates how inventive  and masterful the mind is and how creative and courageous one can become if they use it. Annie Yu is a senior who has dedicated her time to creating a vast expanse of art that is moving and provides a vivid and imaginative experience for all viewers of her work.

“I started when I was 5 or 6 years old because my parents enrolled me in lessons from a family friend, so that kind of got me started with the technical abilities or art and developing skills.” Yu said. Her abilities began with realism as she experimented and grew throughout her youth. 

“I think that art, in a way, is always a reflection of self. That’s why I think as I’ve grown through the years, I’ve strayed from just copy-paste realism too (beginning) to explore with my own self. It’s given me a reflection of my character of how I feel.” She continues on to say. “I’m very vibrant and lively and have a big imagination, and that’s kind of what. I think is reflected in what I’m making.” 

Her art has shown a true transformation of her growth and subconscious understanding of herself. Each piece she creates holds an intricate meaning that Annie has weaved throughout the piece with her technical, creative, and practical artistic abilities. Her skills and personal style are unmatched.

Building her public profile and gaining exposure has also been an undertaking of her work. She runs an Instagram account in which she publishes her art titled yuniverseart.“It’s like a vault of my art. I like the feeling of seeing it there as if it’s like a gallery. And getting the support of people and sharing my art with my friends who follow it, because it also might inspire other people. Like how other artists inspire me!” Yu continues. 

Here are a few of her pieces that she has shown on her Instagram page. (More images down below) 

Her work has evolved beautifully. Her artwork holds such a hyperrealistic quality that maintains several different perspectives throughout her pieces. When looking at her work, you can see her elaborate shape work and how much time she puts into each piece. 

“As of now my childhood kind of inspires me like the playfulness and freedom of people’s imaginations when they’re kids. I think that feeling of freedom and utilizing imagination and possibility and the magic of the world is very inspiring.” Annie’s art has taken a new turn as she gets commissions and works to expand her horizons. 

“I’m making a portrait of my friend Jake and it’s a hyper-realism piece and it’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done. It’s probably the most realistic piece I’ve ever done, and it’s one that I’ve created completely on my own, so it hasn’t been based on someone else’s picture. I had my friend Ben Burton take the picture of my friend Jake so it’s just like fully an authentic work of art.”

She has participated in a ton of the art programs at Liberty going through drawing, painting, and ceramics expanding to most styles of art the school has to offer. 

“Any form of art I think is just an expression of people. It is a form of freedom that we can’t really get through our actions in the real world. It’s like science and literature, that’s all art, and I think that it’s been a wonderful thing in our world.”

Her style provokes emotion and passion. You can feel her energy through the characters and setting she creates. She notes that art has been a wonderful outlet for her.

“For me, it’s like right now, if I need a sense of freedom, then I have a paper to work with or if I feel like I don’t have enough color in my life and I feel like it’s very bland, I can make a fictional world through art.” And the worlds she has created have done just that. Her creativity blossoms throughout her work. She notes how art has given her a new perspective on so many things and has helped her become more informed on the person she is. 

Her art continues to transform and grow into something incredibly memorable. And this is only the beginning of her journey. You can continue to follow it at yuniverseart on Instagram and watch how the pieces she creates continue to develop within the community of art!

Gallery | 6 Photos