WVCSD Artist of the Week: Ashley Ruszkiewicz

As part of its Artist of the Week series, the Warwick Valley Central School District highlighted Warwick Valley High School senior Ashley Ruszkiewicz. She began her art journey drawing characters from books and games on her own as a child. Over the years, Ruszkiewicz has evolved as an artist, exploring a variety of media and continuing to answer the muse. She 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 Ruszkiewicz 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 Ruszkiewicz 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 Spano.

“I like to work with my hands,” Ruszkiewicz 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.”

Ruszkiewicz’s love of ceramics, however, has not overtaken drawing and illustration as her favorites. Ruszkiewicz made the move from drawing with traditional media to digital illustration in the COVID era. There are a lot of things that Ruszkiewicz 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,” Ruszkiewicz 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,” Ruszkiewicz 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.”

Ruszkiewicz is also 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 Ruszkiewicz. “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.”

Ruszkiewicz 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. Ruszkiewicz also credits 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.”

Ruszkiewicz 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. Ruszkiewicz has been a volunteer with the Pine Island Ambulance Corp. for the past three years. She will be taking her EMT soon.