Quiet tension fills the studio as the clock ticks down.

It’s T-minus two weeks until the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are due for submission, and sophomores Jixuan Zheng and Ryan Li are racing against time. Zheng works without a pause, scrapping paper designs and throwing around ribbon and trash. Li paints and molds, adding additional elements in the final stretch.

When the annual awards were announced on Jan. 29, Zheng and Li each won a regional Gold Key in their respective category.

Zheng entered in the Fashion category, while Li entered in Sculpture, but both take classes under Yan Zu at Studio Z Art & Design.

*Click below to explore both pieces*

Zu’s teaching philosophy boils down to pushing students to think creatively and explore the unordinary. She prefers deviating from traditional realism, and more to art that has a “deeper meaning than what’s on the surface.”

Over the 30 or so hours that both students have worked tirelessly to produce their pieces, Zu has overseen their growth and adaptations.

Zheng is already thinking of new ideas for next year’s piece and sketching preliminary designs. Li plans to continue sculpting and will begin preparations for the Awards this summer.

Regardless of what comes next, Zu remains endlessly proud of her students.

“Every student is different, and they have different talents,” Zu said. “It makes me really happy to see them grow and what they’ve accomplished.”