Young artist’s work chosen for statewide gallery

When she was nine years old, Ashli Van Deest began to draw.
“I used to stuff my backpack full of pencils and paper, and go to the library,” Van Deest recalls. “I would always rent those ‘How to Draw’ books, and practice drawing from them for hours on end.”
Now a senior in high school with plans to study graphic design at Iowa Central Community College, Van Deest is on her way to forging a reputation for herself in the art community, and has scored a major boost after her work was chosen to be featured in the statewide, Youth Art Month Gallery in Des Moines.
“I was definitely proud of myself when I found out my art was selected,” she said. “I was a little bummed I didn’t make it to the next step of the competition, which is the Iowa Governor’s Arts Award. But I’ve always said that I learn best through failure, so it really motivates me to step up and do better.”
Van Deest says she is always seeking a new challenge, and trying to become a better artist.
“No one is born a master. You have to learn and practice, and want to get better,” she said. 
But it’s not easy. On average, her drawings take anywhere from 11 hours to over 20 hours to complete. One of her most complex pieces, The Tiger, took over 26 hours from start to finish.
“It’s a really fun challenge trying to capture the individual personality of each animal, because no two animals are exactly the same – like a snowflake or a fingerprint,” she said.  
And while many other young people her age are watching TV, playing video games, or scrolling through Facebook, Van Deest fills her time with drawing. 
“If I disappear into my room for hours at a time, my parents know that I’m drawing,” she said. “It’s really relaxing, almost a form of meditation for me. When I make good art, I do better at everything, no matter what it is. It really gets my creative juices flowing.”
More than that, art is about self expression for Van Deest.
“It’s definitely an outlet for me to express my creativity, and to show others how I see the world,” she said. “I see the world differently than someone else sees it, and art allows me to express that.”
For the full story, see the March 9 edition of The Grundy Register.