YOUNGSTOWN — Anna Pugh’s art captures the feel of 2020 and the problems society faces with so much happening.

Pugh, of Canfield, is a junior interdisciplinary studio art major at Youngstown State University. Her latest work “Pandemic Problems” was displayed this month at the Judith Rae Solomon Gallery in Bliss Hall.

Anna, daughter of Darrell and Julie Pugh of Canfield, is a 2018 Canfield High School graduate. She said art and being creative have always been parts of her, but really came out as a senior at CHS.

“I’ve always been creative but didn’t start pursuing art as a potential career path until my senior year of high school,” she said. “There wasn’t really a teacher that inspired me, but my dad was the one who got me into photography and both of my parents were very supportive of all my artistic endeavors.”

When she entered YSU she had no idea what the future would hold, but she was focusing on her major. When the pandemic hit back in March, it simply gave her a new subject to put into her work, capturing the essence of the times.

“I have been working on putting this exhibit together since the beginning of the semester (August),” she said. “I intended to do individually styled photo shoots but if 2020 has taught us anything, it is that things do not go as planned.

“With social distancing playing a factor in the current situation, I resorted to designing options that I could achieve without having contact with models. This project mirrors the adaptation of life as we know it and the abstract images created are to represent the chaos this year has caused. This project has drastically evolved but by working through the creative process I was able to find a better solution than what I originally intended.”

Having her work on display last week was an honor, even if it was for just a short time.

Looking to the future, Anna already has a career path laid out. She is the owner of Ushine Design LLC, which is her company that handles everything from weddings, graduations and family photography to graphic design, web design and social media management services.

“After I graduate in the fall of 2021, I intend to run my business full time,” she said. “I truly love what I do, and I find joy in capturing special moments. Memories last a lifetime, but photographs last forever.”

Anna has set up a business website at https://ushine designllc.com.

jtwhitehouse@tribtoday.com