Art student recreates painting on downtown bench
Kari Yanders, a senior at New Philadelphia High School, left; Stephanie Speedy, art teacher; and Ian Wamboldt of the House of Stones install the new bench in front of the New Philadelphia jewelry store.
The bench renders a painting done by artist Roy Lichtenstein in 1962 as a comic book homage titled “The Ring (Engagement).”
Kari Yanders, a senior at New Philadelphia High School and AP Art student in Stephanie Speedy’s class, took on a commission to create a painted bench, which has been placed outside the House of Stones on the square in the city. Yanders competes in art competitions at many levels and has won several awards for her work.
“Ms. Speedy posted something on Instagram about the bench project, and I asked her about doing it,” Yanders said.
The project was a commission by the House of Stones, where Ian Wamboldt said the store has gathered in some of the weathered benches from the square to have repaired and freshened with new paint.
“I like taking on any opportunity I can,” Yanders said, “and Ms. Speedy said I could do the project with friends or by myself, and I said I wanted to do it by myself. I quickly realized it was a lot bigger project than I expected it to be.”
Yanders began at the beginning of the school year, working on it for short bursts during school and art classes.
The bench renders a painting done by artist Roy Lichtenstein in 1962 as a comic book homage titled “The Ring (Engagement).”
Viewers see a male hand reaching out to a well-manicured female hand with an engagement ring, the perfect theme for outside the jewelry store. The Lichtenstein painting itself fetched more than $41 million at auction in 2015.
“They showed me exactly what they wanted and said 'go for it,’” Yanders said. “The hard part was getting it started, but once I did, it went pretty well.”
Yanders said she had a great-grandfather who was a painter but otherwise doesn’t come from a family of artists.
Last year Yanders won an award with a piece submitted to the Cleveland Clinic eXpressions Program art show, held in fall 2018. Art students examined scientific research completed by Ohio high school students serving as science interns with the clinic. They then selected a research project that resonated with them and created their own interpretation through art.
Yanders garnered a red ribbon last year and has learned her submission for this year has been chosen for recognition as well. The details of the award will be released in late December, though Yanders said her work competed among approximately 1,400 entries.
Yanders is the first student from New Philadelphia to win the Cleveland competition twice. Her work hangs in the Ashland office of Congressman Bob Gibbs and in the offices of the Tuscarawas County commissioners.
The bench, which Yanders worked to complete in time for the Christmas shopping season, has been coated with weather-resistant urethane to protect her work from the elements, but it will be brought indoors in severe weather. The project received no special funding, and Yanders utilized materials found in her art class.
“I wanted her to have the experience of creating something for a commissioned work,” Speedy said. “You have a client, and you have to do it a certain way, and it’s all about what the client wants.”
Wamboldt said he was pleased with the way Yanders transferred the Lichtenstein work to the bench and said other projects may be ahead. “The benches out here are all 20 years old or more, and we’ve been bringing them in and finding ways to freshen them up before they go back out on the square,” he said.
Yanders work will be available for viewing — and sitting — through the holidays.