One Thomas County Central High School art student has won the honor of having her art displayed in Washington D.C. and another art student has been recognized in the local leg of a national competition.
Zsant Arrington received first place and Sophie Anderson received an honorable mention in the Eighth Congressional District (of which Thomas County is part) branch of the Congressional Art Competition, held each spring and sponsored by the United States House of Representatives.
“I’m overwhelmed that I’ve been picked for first place,” Zsant Arrington said. “I’m extremely proud of myself. I was highly emotional when I found out.”
The district had 62 pieces of artwork from 15 high schools in the competition. Winners were announced April 19.
“I was impressed by the artistic talent coming from Georgia’s Eighth Congressional District this year, with nearly 65 pieces from 15 high schools across our district,” Congressman Austin Scott said. “I applaud our students for their hard work and their dedication.”
The competition began in 1982 as a way for Congress members “to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents,” according to an event press release. Artwork had to be original, meet certain size requirements and could be a painting, drawing, collage, print, mixed media, computer generated art or a photograph.
Arrington painted a violet woman in front of a colorful garden of oranges, reds, and violets. She used a tempera paint color scheme to give the work an expressive quality.
“I took my time working on this painting,” she said. “I wanted it to be perfect. I aimed to have absolutely every single detail, such as cracks in the bricks of the house, ruffles in the flowers, and etc.”
Arrington had no idea she would win, but she did know she’d done a great job with the piece and that the painting “really represents her talent” and “expresses and shows all that I am capable of.”
The student said winning the competition “means everything” to her because her hard work paid off. It also motivates her.
Arrington saw other entries she felt “were even better than mine” and feels she “can only get better by practice and hope I can at least get close to the ones I thought should’ve won.”
“To win first place only motivates me even more to keep working on my other projects,” she said. “I’m motivated to keep doing my best in all my artwork. I’m aiming to get even better in my future artwork. I’m not where I want to be with my talent, but I will continue to work on it and get better.”
There are 435 winners across the nation representing all of the congressional districts, according to Alice Johnson, director of outreach in Scott’s office. His office will provide a free, three-day trip for Arrington and a parent to travel to Washington, D.C. in order to attend the national competition ceremony and ribbon cutting of the art exhibit this June.
The winning entry from Georgia’s Eighth Congressional District will be displayed in the U. S. Capitol for approximately a year alongside artwork from every congressional district across the country.
Arrington also is eligible to receive a $3,000 per-year admission scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design, should she apply and be accepted.
TCCHS student Sophie Anderson received an honorable mention for her portrait of a girl surrounded by hummingbirds. She used thousands of dots and tiny lines drawn in fine-tip ink pens, and a splashy blue watercolor background.
TCCHS Art teacher Jocelyn Rivard said the piece is one of Anderson’s series of “12 Portraits with Animals” for her Advanced Placement Studio Art course.
Anderson said she chose the piece because she “felt it was my best piece in the required size range.” She is happy to see it honored, but intends “to try and win first or at least place” in next year’s competition.
All entries in the Eighth Congressional District will be displayed until May 1 at the Thomasville Centre for the Arts.
“This is a fabulous annual event for students to participate in and view, as there is always a wide range of subjects and media,” Rivard said. “The many works serve to be inspiring as the students continue in their artistic development.”
