Shepherd University sophomore Laura Wilt stands before some of her paintings on display at the South Jefferson Public Library. Toni Milbourne

SUMMIT POINT — Laura Wilt has been painting as long as she can remember, but now, the Shepherd University sophomore’s paintings are now currently on display at South Jefferson Public Library.

The exhibit is the 93rd in the Art in the Library series hosted by the library, which was originally begun to highlight the talents of local artists.

A lover of art and painting in particular, Wilt fondly remembers painting murals at Charles Town Middle School as a member of the school’s art program. She said that she made the decision to study painting in college, after attending the Governor’s School for the Arts at Marshall University in 2019.

“It was a month-long intensive experience,” Wilt said. “Living with and working with other artists made me realize I wanted to do this all of my life.”

Wilt executed two AP portfolios, following her residency with the Governor’s School, both of which earned perfect scores.

As a freshman at Shepherd University, Wilt was able to be part of a juried art show on the university’s campus. She also illustrated the cover of a playbill for the Rude Mechanicals’ Nov. 2021 performance of Hamlet.

Recurring themes in Wilt’s artwork include mental illness, the importance of altered memory, the impact of change and the exorcism of past events. These themes are executed with an overwhelming number of different mediums. After painting, her favorite mediums for creating art are in a digital format, with ink and with an ink wash. The range of colors in painting and in digital that can be manufactured help push those two mediums to the top of her list.

“Color is my favorite thing,” the young artist said.

According to Wilt, she spends a good bit of time each day working on her art, as some pieces take a matter of hours, while others take days, weeks or even months to complete.

A reception was held to kick off her art show on Sunday, where visitors to the library’s meeting room could view multiple pieces of Wilt’s work.

“I am so proud of you!” said Virgie Moore, who came to the showing.

Moore, who is a bus driver for Jefferson County Schools, said Wilt was one of her students.

“She was such a good girl,” Moore said.

Wilt’s future plans include learning as much as she can about as much as she can.

“You can’t find things out without a teacher,” Wilt said.

Personally, she said has already learned many at Shepherd University to help her on her artistic journey. She said she hopes, in the future, to travel to different places, such as Greece, which is at the top of her bucket list.