Hempfield High School teachers laud Lydia Card's ability to formulate ideas and bring those ideas to life.

The local art community honored Lydia for excelling in both aspects with equal aplomb.

Lydia, a senior at Hempfield High School, was recognized for compiling the premier portfolio in the Lancaster Young Artist exhibition and was rewarded with a $20,000 scholarship from Red Raven Art Company and the C.X. Carlson Foundation.

"I was very surprised," Lydia said. "I thought I would just apply and see what happens, and I ended up winning. That was nice."

Along with the works in her portfolio, Lydia was required to provide a personal statement and an artist statement, describing the pieces and what they mean to her. "What I was focusing on was the aspect of strangers and how everybody else is going through different things," she said. "Everyone is going through equally complex things in their lives. I focused on the sweeter memories between people."

In addition to the scholarship, Lydia will show one of her pieces on Red Raven's emerging artist's wall throughout June. She is working on a large oil painting of an elderly couple walking through sunflowers, which she is planning to display at Red Raven.

The sunflower painting is an example of how Lydia goes about her craft. She took a photo, sketched out a drawing, and then projected the sketch onto a larger canvas. Lydia uses an acrylic base to bring out the colors in her oil paints.

"I like seeing my ideas go down on paper or a canvas in a way that's different than just taking a picture," she said. "There are different elements that you can include that are different than using your phone or a camera, like the brushstrokes and the different colors you can mix. They are all just very fascinating to me."

Lydia was inspired to become an artist by her grandmother Maureen Card. "My grandma was very into art," said Lydia. "Whenever we would go visit her house, we would do some sort of craft. I just continued to do it from there. I just found out that I was kind of good at it, so I kept going."

She plans to keep going after graduating from Hempfield, using her scholarship to attend Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, beginning this fall. Lydia is planning to study art education with a major in general fine arts and then become a teacher while painting commissions on the side.

She had an internship at Farmdale Elementary School with her former art teacher Dan Zdilla. "I just really loved helping the kids get to where they wanted to go and bring their ideas from what they're imagining in their head to the paper," said Lydia. "And then seeing them being very proud of it and showing me their progress was very nice. I like that aspect of it."

Lydia appreciates the fact she has a legion of supporters, most notably her parents, Patricia and Timothy Card, who proudly display some of their daughter's paintings in their home. "They have always provided really good support, and I have been a bragging right of theirs for a while," Lydia said with a smile.

She is also grateful for the art program at Hempfield and current teachers Erica Kabbeko and Amy Edwards. "I've had access to a lot of mediums and a lot of great teachers," said Lydia. "Right now, I'm taking clay, metal, and glass (classes), which are mediums I wouldn't be able to take as easily on my own or at a different facility. I've had a lot of great teachers that (motivate) me to be better than I was."

Kabbeko noted Lydia is unique in the age of social media. "The focus students have for a slow labor like painting has dwindled," Kabbeko said. "That's something Lydia does very well. She is able to focus. She dedicates large chunks of time to her craft, and I think that sets her apart."

Kabbeko also praises Lydia's passion and curiosity. "She is looking at these moments in time that she's exploring and thinks about what is happening," she explained. "A lot of people gloss over those things and don't notice, but Lydia sees those things and wants to bring them to life. The way she paints, people are noticing these moments. ... It's just really cool to watch. I think the coolest thing is when you see a student putting in that much work and getting success out of it. And she's (a) sweet (person)."

Edwards said, "Lydia's humility is one of the things that pops out to me. I think she really appreciates the gift she has and wants to really succeed."

Lydia isn't resting on her laurels. "Her ideas are great," said Edwards. "She always had as idea for whatever she is working on. Now she works on so many mediums in each of our rooms, and she excels at everything. Every day she comes in energized and ready to go. She's a special kid."