"Garbage" would be an accurate description of some of senior Jennifer Laskewitz's work.

"I have a fascination with the junk yard," she said in reference to her photo collage of rusted cars and twisted metal. "I like junk."

Laskewitz is one of five nominees this year for Austin High School's Artist of the Year award.

The nominees were chosen from a list of 11 applicants by a judging panel of area art teachers and some art majors at state universities.

Photos of the dump aren't the only thing Laskewitz has done. She actually prefers to work with three-dimensional art.

"I do a lot of assemblage stuff," she said. "I made the school symbol out of plexiglass last year."

Katie Vaith, another nominee, likes working with colored pencils and photography, but occasionally does pottery as well. A close-up pencil drawing of a human eye and another of a human heart are two pieces she has worked on. Her photographic subject of choice is nature.

"It's easy to take pictures of because of the lighting," she said.

Vaith said the rest of the school knew about her nomination before she did, and she was surprised when her friends congratulated her.

"It's an honor," she said. "Since ninth grade it's been something I've been working towards."

Some of Jane Moldenhauer's methods of expression could cause her future troubles in the office.

"I stuck my face against the scanner and scanned my face," she said about one of her works. She then messed with the colors and painted the results.

Moldenhauer also talked about her scratch board piece of a Minneapolis sky walk.

"I'm really proud of this one," she said. "This is totally original because I took this picture, developed it and recreated it in another medium."

Mike Ashley creates oil/pastel and pencil works. The music world provides some of his subjects, such as a pencil drawing of Incubus' Brandon Boyd.

He also likes to experiment with the abstract.

"I like doing people and just weird stuff you don't see a lot," he said. "People can look at it and say, 'I wonder what that's about," and get their own view on it."

Leah Brandon paints in oil and acrylics. She said she doesn't draw from influences in the art world.

"I don't like using things for reference," she said. "I like doing it on my own."

Classmates, however, have provided her with some inspiration. Vaith and Moldenhauer, for instance, have piqued her interest in other mediums.

"Ultimately (experimenting in other mediums) is going to influence anything I do in painting," she said.

Brandon said she was flattered to receive the nomination.

"It's something I've thought about since ninth grade when I moved here," she said. "It's a big honor to be nominated at all because everyone is so good."

The Artist of the Year candidates' works are on display in the Oak Park Mall Gallery along with works from other students at the high school.

All of the works will be judged by individuals from the area. Awards including Best of Category and Award of Excellence will be handed out on May 30 in an assembly at the high school. Only the five nominees, however, are eligible for Artist of the Year.

Art teacher Bruce Loeschen said the honor has a big impact on students who receive it.

"From the past, even nominees said it made a difference in the amount of artistic confidence they have," he said. "And it has opened financial doors."

Ashley said the nomination was great, but it was art in general that has made a difference in his life.

"It's awesome, it's been the best part of high school," Ashley said. "Most of my friends dropped out, but it's kept me here because it's something fun that I can do."

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by email at matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com