When she was 3 years old, Lucy Versuk remembers drawing pictures on the floor of her home.

It would be a precursor for a budding career.

“I used to draw stick figures,” recalled Versuk. “They would be part of a story that I would tell, and try to write. It wasn’t anything crazy at the time. When I started, I would try to draw animals and portraits of people. Whatever it is, I just would love to draw.”

Now, 10 years later, she has developed and progressed into an award winning artist.

The eighth grader at Lehighton Middle School captured two first-place finishes, a fourth-place and an honorable mention for works exhibited and judged recently at the Bloomsburg Fair. She received a first-place, second-place and an honorable mention award at the fair last year.

One of Versuk’s first-place renditions was a portrait of the Red Caboose from “Starlight Express” done in colored pencil. Her other top prize was a watercolor painting of Chappell Roan’s Oya Festival luna moth costume.

Versuk’s fourth-place winner was a pencil drawing of Greek mythology god Apollo and the Spartan prince Hyacinthus.

Over the years, she has drawn inspiration for her drawings and prize-winning works through her own experiences.

It has been a constant pipeline of creativity.

“I saw ‘Starlight Express,’ and really loved it,” beamed Versuk. “I was really impressed with all of the colors, and the fact that the actors performed on roller skates.

“Chappell Roan is an artist who I started following, and her songs really became popular in the past couple of years,” Versuk said. “My mom and I became big fans of her music.”

Aside from developing her interests, Versuk also has applied her talents from deriving lessons in the classroom.

“We learned about Greek mythology in school last year,” noted Versuk. “It got me really interested in it, and I began making sketches in class. I then saw some portraits of them, and that helped as well.”

Since she began drawing in her early youth, Versuk has been on her own track. A school art class has been inspiring, but she has been self-motivated.

Versuk had a simple beginning, but she has since broadened her scope.

“I have pretty much taught myself to draw,” Versuk said. “In school, I always thought we had good art teachers, and they were always impressed with my skills. I started drawing with pencils and then tied watercolors. I do want to expand my materials.

“I have never thought about taking an art class, but maybe some day I will.”

With her art, Versuk also has worked to develop her writing. She sees it as a perfect complement and an avenue to enhance her overall skills.

“In my free time, I also like to write,” Versuk said. “When I started to draw stick figures, I thought about how I could make a story about them.

“I began writing some short stories, and it really started to come all together for me.”

In fact, her writing has taken a recent upswing.

“When I think back, I have created around 300 to 400 original characters,” reflected Versuk. “I really like musicals, and most of my characters have been created from them.

“A lot of the things that I have drawn lately have a story to go with it. It really has been a lot of fun.”

Versuk also has gained some roots from her parents. Jeannette Pupko, her mother, attended Baum Art School in Allentown, and David Versuk, her father, has dabbled in art.

Her mother has watched her steady progress. When her daughter impressively colored a picture of an owl at age 3, Pupko envisioned a future lifelong track.

A proud parent, Pupko has relished all the moments.

“She is very smart and very talented,” said her mother. “When she colored the owl picture when she was young, I knew she would be really good in art and had a talent for it.”

Pupko has been impressed with her daughter’s degree of adaptation.

“It’s really neat how she can do it very quickly,” Pupko said. “She picks up quickly on all different types of art. I used to do some art, too, but I was nowhere as good as she is now. She does have a future in some capacity in the field.”

Versuk has aspirations to pursue her passion in high school as well as in college. In the meantime, she will seek to enter her work again in the Bloomsburg Fair and in other local competitions, continuing to add to her own designs and portfolio.

Versuk believes she has found her niche.

“I really like creating things,” Versuk said. “I have a very big imagination. I see it (art) as a very important part of me. In the future, I really see it as a career for me.

“I want to keep working at it, and see what I can do next.”