Artist of the Month: Lyla Hsu is Guided by Exploration

ALTON - Lyla Hsu’s artwork, from fiber arts to photography, helps her make sense of the world.

Hsu is this month’s Milton Schoolhouse Artist of the Month. Her art is on display at Milton through the end of February, but her passion goes beyond this first exhibit. She hopes she can continue creating and inspiring others as she begins her professional career.

“It’s a way to reflect on my experiences and then make sense of it, and just kind of a way for me to understand myself more and understand what happened in the past and how I’m going to move forward,” Hsu shared. “I think I would just want to maybe explore, use art to explore myself, how I’m feeling, my relationship with others.”

This theme — exploration — guides much of Hsu’s creativity. She recently took a weaving class, where she learned how to make tapestries using a loom.

With one of her favorite photos as inspiration, Hsu turned her picture of a cloud into an abstract tapestry that brought out a ton of different ideas when her class critiqued it. As Hsu tries new ideas and new methods, she enjoys seeing where the art takes her.

Hsu has always been a creative person. She loves completing crafts and often uses recycled materials to make new pieces. She specializes in sewing, crochet and weaving, but photography is another major love of hers.

In college, Hsu has taken classes in ceramics, metalsmithing, natural dyeing and other art forms. She has a passion for trying new things and incorporating different materials in her art.

But she always comes back to photography. Hsu shared that photography is meditative for her, and the practice encourages her to notice more of the world around her. She urges others to use their cameras as a way to engage more deeply with their surroundings.

“I know people nowadays take a lot of photos, and I think it’s a great thing,” Hsu said. “When I don’t have my camera, I just kind of walk through. When I have a camera, I get more mindful about what I’m looking at, what I’m seeing, what I want to document. When I have the camera, it starts to help me notice the little things in life and the beautiful things in life.”

The experience is grounding and helps Hsu manage her mental and emotional health. She believes art can benefit people like this, and she hopes her own art encourages others to reflect and engage.

While the Milton Schoolhouse exhibit is one of Hsu’s firsts, it likely won’t be the last time her art is featured. She plans to continue creating and exploring, whether it’s by trying new methods or transposing works of art across different mediums.

Whatever comes next for her, there’s no doubt the aspiring artist is making an impact on Alton’s creative scene. She can’t wait to begin her career with plans to make art a central focus.

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