Having begun his art journey when he was still reciting his ABCs, junior Yanxin Wang’s ability is recognized not only town-wide, but also globally.

Wang’s artistic abilities regarding digital and traditional art have led to several acknowledgments at Westford Academy and beyond, including a placement in the annual WA art calendar and an explosive Instagram account with thousands of followers.

As art is prevalent throughout his family, Wang was exposed to it when he was three years old. Although he started taking art seriously when he was in the first grade, he accredits one of his first positive memories of drawing to an experience with his sister.

“I remember first drawing with my sister on a flight to China and being really interested because I could draw characters [I’d] seen in TV shows,” Wang said. 

Wang committed himself to improving his skills through practicing and experimenting as much as he could.

“There is no talent, but there is penchant. You need to have a penchant for art in order to have motivation to improve your own art,” Wang said.

Wang is well versed in several mediums such as graphite, painting, as well as digital art. He describes his digital style as his most distinct, as he is more free to explore a broad color palette.

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Yanxin Wang

Wang’s freshman year Foundations of Art Teacher Edward Hardy recounts Wang’s experimentation and growth throughout his projects and pieces.

“Yanxin is laser-focused on always growing as an artist with each project he takes on. Thus, has a knack for exploration and experimentation while remaining open to learning new methods and techniques,” Hardy said. 

What Wang enjoys most about art in general is his growth over the years and reflection upon his pieces in retrospect.

“The thing I like about drawing the most is seeing improvement. My friends and I always enjoy looking back on pieces we created a year ago and also comparing them with pieces we have recently made. The growth and improvement is simply outstanding,” Wang said.

However, he describes the transition from traditional to digital art as extremely difficult, as the skills involved are drastically different. In his words, digital art is analogous to “taming a wild horse.”

“It took over a month for me to transition properly as I was so clueless and didn’t have anyone to rely on for help. Digital art is actually very deceptive, it feels like it should be easier than traditional art, but it is absolutely way more difficult,” Wang said. 

He recounts a time in his middle school years when he was burned out as an artist because he was pushing himself to create art he wasn’t completely inspired by, which was “detrimental” to Wang’s creativity. To overcome this, he took more control over what he wanted to create. 

“I felt so burned out by just drawing still lifes over and over and felt like I was pushing myself too much. I overcame this [phase of burnout] when I got frustrated from not being able to like what I created and decided to just create art that I liked,” Wang said.

Various media such as TV and music videos inspire Wang’s creativity. His brainstorming process involves overlapping unique objects with different colors, as well as browsing various apps for intriguing references. 

At Westford Academy, Wang has taken Foundations of Art and Visual Arts II. As he is currently taking Honors Art, he plans on taking AP Studio Art in his sophomore year. 

Wang’s Honors Art teacher Kelly Fitzsimmons describes Wang as a “wealth of knowledge” in regards to digital art, as well as “modest and humble.” 

“Yanxin seems to be constantly creating. Every once in a while he will show me his sketchbook filled with such beautiful and creative drawings that you could tear out the page and frame the artwork just as it is,” Fitzsimmons said. 

Fitzsimmons acknowledges how as an advanced artist, Wang is unafraid to try new styles and techniques, which is reflected in his art calendar piece of a frog.

“Yanxin is never afraid to mix materials so while these drawings [art calendar pieces] are all primarily done in pencil, he also used white gel pen to achieve those glowing white spots in the frog and in the water. It has been so interesting learning from Yanxin and I am excited to see what he creates next,”  Fitzsimmons said. 

Fellow art student junior Hana Usmani also attests to Wang’s caliber and creativity.

“He is so good in every form of art. Everything he does is so creative. Most of his art is of his own inspiration, especially his digital art,” Usmani said.

Wang was prompted to create a Twitch and an Instagram during quarantine after seeing other friends and artists bring their work to social platforms. His Instagram account has over 2,300 followers and features many of Wang’s digital art pieces. Through social media, Wang has been able to interact with other artists, as well as share his work to resonate with a wider audience worldwide.

Ultimately, Wang describes art as part of his identity, and a piece of him that influences how he views the world. He describes how he sees normal objects in an artistic lens for inspiration. 

“I think that it’s a big part of who I am, because a lot of people around me think of me as the ‘art kid’ and I embrace that fully,” Wang said. 

To those who wish to immerse themselves in drawing and art, Wang has simple advice: to practice. 

“[Practice is] very important towards your growth and development as an artist. I also suggest to take breaks, don’t overwork yourself, and also to encourage others around you. […] I would like to add that art is important and it’s never too late to start,” Wang said.