DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Teen artist Sarah Wall is proving that talent, heart, and ambition know no age limits.

Wall, who recently began her freshman year at Duke University, has already built an impressive résumé. She’s the youngest artist ever signed by Park West Gallery, the world’s largest art dealer, has more than 1.6 million followers on social media, and founded a nonprofit dedicated to helping children with autism express themselves through art.

“I have been painting since I can remember,” Wall said.

It’s a passion that runs in the family. Her father, Daniel Wall, immigrated to the Triangle from China and has built an international career with a signature style called Intense Impressionism, often showcasing patriotic American themes, animals, and nature.

“My dad’s an artist, too,” Sarah said. “So when I was little, I started by kind of trying to imitate his style a little bit.”

Her parents recall that her artistic drive was clear from the start.

“When I was little, like even before I can walk, I was always painting on the walls, painting on the floors, messing the house up,” she said.

While influenced by her father, Sarah has carved out her own unique artistic identity, which she calls “Nature’s Expressionism”, painting animals and landscapes directly onto wood panels.

“I express nature with nature through the movement of the wood grain on the wood panel,” she explained.

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Environmental themes are at the core of her work.

“I like to include like messages of environmentalism and conservation through my work, too, because it fits so well with like the wood,” Well said. “And it’s also something that I care about deeply.”

At just 14, Wall made history as the youngest artist signed by Park West Gallery. Her work and message have since reached a global audience online and in galleries.

Success hasn’t kept her from giving back. Wall founded Art to Heart, a nonprofit organization that helps children with autism explore communication and creativity through visual art.

“Children with autism often have very special innate talents with art,” she said. “And also a lot of children with autism have trouble communicating verbally and confidence. And like with social communication, research shows that art can help improve all of those aspects.”

Now a freshman at Duke University, Wall is pursuing a degree in art, while continuing to inspire others to follow their passions.

“I think I want young people to feel that in a world full of expectations, they are free to pursue whatever they want to do,” she said. “This sounds like a cliché, but dream big, because you can use whatever your interests are and your talents, or to help other people, and to realize any dream that you have if you just set your mind to it.”

Her proud parents are happy she’s staying close to home and continuing to make her mark, both on canvas and in the community.

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