PALMYRA — Something just drew Madeleine Calhoun to art.
“I’ve been doing art my entire life,” the Palmyra High School senior said. “It’s an outlet for me. I really like to express how I’m feeling through my art.”
The 17-year-old’s artwork has not gone unnoticed.
A series of oil pastel sketches that depict some of Madeleine’s travels recently won the 2012 Congressional High School Art Competition for the 1st Congressional District of New Jersey.
“I was shocked, of course,” Madeleine said about winning the competition “It’s crazy. It’s really an honor.”
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors the competition to recognize and encourage the artistic talent of students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. Each member of Congress hosts a competition among high school students in his or her district. Panels of local artists select the winning entries, which are then displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year.
Since the competition’s inception in 1982, more than 650,000 students have submitted entries.
This year, Madeleine’s entry to U.S. Rep Rob Andrews, D-1st of Haddon Heights, took the top prize.
Madeleine’s art teacher, Michael Budden, said the school has entered the competition before but never won.
“I think it’s fabulous,” Budden said. “I’m proud of her. It’s kind of rare when you consider the couple hundred entries.”
But not that rare for Madeleine. Her piece already won a Merit Award at the Burlington County Teen Arts Festival in March.
The sketches feature nine landscapes from as far away as California, Maine and the Florida Keys.
“It makes me go back and relive those moments,” Madeleine said of the work. “There’s something about the feeling you get when you do that. It’s a joy for me.”
Budden said he was impressed by how well Madeleine captured the moment and expressed her emotions in her artwork.
“I think she got across to the viewer how she felt about those places,” he said. “All nine (sketches) were equally good.”
But not necessarily easy.
“The hardest part is to get the right blend of colors,” Madeleine said. “I didn’t plan on doing so many. I just made one and it came out all right, so I just made more and more of them.”
Obviously, they came out all right, too.
“I just like that I can do what I love while having other people enjoy it,” Madeleine said.
Later this month, she will join the rest of the winners from across the country for an awards ceremony in the nation’s capital.
“I’m expecting it’s going to be a fun couple of days in D.C.,” Madeleine said.
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com
No comments:
Post a Comment