U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced Stella Li from Benicia High School in Solano County as the winner of the 2016 Congressional Art Competition for the 5th Congressional District. Li’s work, titled “Memories of my Grandmother,” will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year beginning in June.
Thompson meanwhile named Lorena Rosiles of Kelseyville High School as the competition winner for Lake County.
“Every year I am impressed by the creativity and talent of our student artists and this year was no different,” Thompson said. “Many thanks to every student who participated in this year’s competition, each piece submitted was outstanding.”
Li used colored pencil and graphite to depict a young girl combing her grandmother’s hair. In her own words, Li said “I’ve loved art for as long as I can remember, but only really picked it up as a hobby when I was 12, when I realized that it would allow me to express anything I wanted, regardless of how shy I was. The piece is a tribute to my grandmother, who I was close to before her death. I wanted to portray a scene that not only showed how warm my memories of her remain, but also revealed her gentle spirit. I’m very excited and honored to have won — I hadn’t been expecting to.”
Li was one of five regional winners chosen by local artist judges. In addition to Rosales, the other finalists were:
· Contra Costa County winner: Nikolas Childers of College Park High School
· Napa County winner: Isabel Conversano of Vintage High School
· Sonoma County winner: Saskia Rechin of Rincon Valley Christian School
The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nation-wide competition.
