“With painting, you can do whatever you want,” he said.

And after about a decade of learning, Volodymyr has begun to experience some success as an aspiring artist.

On Thursday night, he will be recognized as one of two winners of the second annual MSU Libraries Student Art Competition at a reception held in the Main Library.

“I’m excited because my work will be in the library’s collection,” Volodymyr said. “It’s a great opportunity to show my art.”

This contest was held in an attempt to cover the walls of the Main Library with more student-created artwork.

Terrie Wilson, an art librarian and head of Fine Arts Library, said there is plenty of space in the library to display more creative pieces, and it makes sense to exhibit the work of MSU-affiliated artists.

“It seems nice to be able to feature the work of our students and alumni (and) showcase what we do here at MSU in a creative sense,” she said.

This year, two students — one graduate and one undergraduate — were named the contest winners and will be awarded $500, in addition to having their piece hung on a wall on the library’s first floor.

“It gives them a chance to participate in a campuswide art event,” Wilson said. “The student that wins benefits from having their work become part of a permanent collection.”

Volodymyr’s winning piece is an oil painting of a semi-abstract landscape from a series he has been working on for about a year.

“It lets your eye explore how landscape can be more abstract in order to allow the viewer to project their own experience on the painting rather than explaining everything right away,” he said. “The landscape can suggest a lot of things in addition to the picture that it depicts.”

MSU alumna Emily Langenberg, who was an undergraduate student when she submitted her work for the competition, said she is excited to have been selected.

“To be chosen is a big honor,” she said. “I’m very excited that the library will have one of my pieces.”

Langenberg’s winning piece is an oil painting based off sketches she drew of various deep sea fish and caves. The artist said she is pleased with how her piece turned out and is honored that people deemed it worthy to hang among the library’s other artworks.

“It was good enough to be among all those other great works that are hanging up there,” Langenberg said.