The 16-year-old artist, who won the Oil Painters of America Youth Award (ages 14–18) at this year's exhibition at Steamboat Art Museum, discovered the inspiration during a family trip to a Renaissance fair in New Jersey.

"There was a performance with a woman and her dog," Lin-Qi recalls. "Her dog was doing tricks and the performance was wonderful."

Captivated by the connection between the performer and her canine partner, Lin-Qi snapped photos throughout the show. Afterward, she had the chance to meet the dog in person. "He was adorable," she says.

But her photographs sat untouched for a time, until one day, while revisiting the images, a particular one caught her attention.

"I saw the photo of the woman and her dog and was like, 'I need to draw that,'" Lin-Qi recalls.

What began as a few rough sketches in a notebook gradually evolved into the painting that would earn national recognition. As she refined the composition, Lin-Qi realized the work could express something deeper than a simple portrait.

"I wanted to show compassion and bravery," she explains. Behind the woman, she painted gathering storm clouds, a symbolic element meant to emphasize courage, perseverance and resilience. The piece also became a statement about female strength and empowerment.

Creating the painting required determination of its own. Lin-Qi completed the work at age 14 while balancing the demands of middle school in New York City. At the time, she was preparing for admission to one of the city's specialized high schools, juggling tutoring sessions and a demanding academic schedule.

"The time I had to work on it was the most challenging part," she says. "Every day when I came home, I would go straight to painting."

That dedication paid off in a memorable moment two years later. When the email announcing the OPA Youth Award arrived, Lin-Qi was sitting on her bed at home.

"I opened it and it had my painting," she remembers. "I screamed, 'I won!' and I ran downstairs to my mom and told her."

For a young artist, the recognition carried special meaning. Before being selected for exhibition, the painting had largely been seen only by family and visitors to her home.

"Seeing it exhibited and seen by so many other people and artists was such an honor," she says. "I am so grateful I had the chance to show my painting because before then it just hung in my house."

Although Lin-Qi is only 16, she already has her eyes on the future. She hopes the award helps introduce more people to her work and opens doors for a lifelong artistic career.

"I really hope that in the future, I'm still doing art," she says, "and that I'm making art that can be exhibited throughout the United States."

For other young artists who may be hesitant to share their work publicly, Lin-Qi’s advice comes from personal experience. "There was a period of time where I was nervous about my art," she says. "I thought my art was bad, so I was very nervous about showing it." But having a strong support system helped. Friends encouraged her through moments of doubt and reminded her to keep creating.

"I think it's important to have a community supporting you," Lin-Qi says. "Even if you don't believe in yourself, you have someone who does."

Most importantly, she encourages young artists to stay connected to the joy that first drew them to creating. "It's important to do what you love," she says. "Because when you do what you love, it really shows on paper."

For Lin-Qi, that love transformed a chance encounter at a Renaissance fair into an award-winning work of art – and perhaps the first chapter of a much larger artistic journey.

Lin-Qi’s painting is on view at the Oil Painters of America exhibition, June 29 - August 29, at Steamboat Art Museum.