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Boulder Creek student wins Congressional Art Competition

BY ANNIKA TOMLIN

Foothills Focus Staff Writer

Artwork by an 11th-grade student at Boulder Creek High School will adorn the U.S. Capitol for a year after she won the Congressional Art Competition.

Brooke Wells’ graphite piece “Arizona Re�lections” was a top-three winner in Rep. Debbie Lesko’s District 8.

Every spring since 1982, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition that showcases the artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district.

“I am so pleased to recognize these talented young artists in our community,” Lesko said in a statement. “I am proud to congratulate this year’s Congressional Art Competition winner and thank everyone who participated in the competition. I was very impressed with the incredible artistic talent each person displayed this year.”

Besides Wells, the top three is rounded out with Glendale’s Dang “Danny” Le, whose oil painting, “Oversaturated,” will grace Lesko’s Washington, D.C., of�ice for one year; and Eliseo Miguel of Surprise with his Prismacolor pencil drawing, “Dreamer.” It will hang in Lesko’s Surprise District of�ice for one year.

The winning artwork will hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol where members of Congress, distinguished visitors and tens of thousands of tourists walk between the House of Representatives and the Capitol daily. Each district’s picture will be hung and labeled with the name of the artist, the title of the work and the congressional district. The artwork will be organized alphabetically by state and then numerically by district.

High school students submitted entries to Lesko’s of�ice and were judged by two members of WHAM Art Association including founder and executive director, Connie Whitlock.

“This is the third year that I’ve helped Debbie Lesko’s organization with the Congressional Art Competition,” Whitlock said. WHAM is a nonpro�it that brings the arts to people of all ages, abilities and economic status in the West Valley.

When Wells’ art teacher Jason Lohmeier told her about the Congressional Art Competition last year, she knew then that she wanted to create a piece for the contest. After COVID-19 stopped her plans last year, she went head on when creating her piece this year.

“I decided I wanted to make a piece speci�ically for (the competition) because my art pieces in the past have been really big and there is a size requirement,” said Wells, an incoming senior.

“I decided to do a photoshoot with my sister (Jessica) and I put everything to��� ART ���� 25

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gether myself. I took a bunch of photos of her, and I chose the one that I (was going to draw). It took me like a month in total, of course I had breaks in between but I think I spent a month just drawing it.”

Wells chalked up the extended drawing time to her procrastination but was nonetheless pleased with the outcome. “The �irst place (artwork), in my opinion, was just phenomenal,” Whitlock said about why the judges chose Wells as the winner.

“She got the emotion of the drawing. She had a lot of depth in her work. She had reality. I was de�initely not abstract. I was mesmerized by what she came with. Her techniques were spot on. She got the shading. She got the overall perception, but she also got emotion in that picture.” When Wells �irst submitted her artwork for the competition, she thought her piece would get “third at best” and “had no idea this was going to happen.” “I entered this piece just thinking it Brooke Wells’ graphite drawing, “Arizona Refl ections” of her sister, Jessica, won fi rst place in the Congressional Art Competition. (Pho-

to courtesy of Rep. Debbie Lesko’s o ce)

Rep. Debbie Lesko awards fi rst prize to Anthem student Brooke Wells for her graphite drawing

“Arizona Refl ections.” (Photo courtesy of Rep. Debbie Lesko’s o ce)

would be fun and why not?” Wells said. “I love art and I just wanted to enter because it’s a great opportunity, but I had no idea I would win �irst place.”

Wells started creating art her freshman year just “for the art elective so I could graduate.” Art became her new passion.

“I ended up loving it and my art teacher taught me everything that I know,” Wells said. “From that point on it just kind of became my thing. I just started entering in all of the art shows. I started winning �irst and it just progressively got better, and I love it.”

Wells knew immediately that her medium of choice was drawing with graphite to give her the “best chance at winning.” “I have tried painting and I just don’t enjoy it as much as I enjoy drawing,” said Wells, who commissions her work for friends and family.

“I love seeing the look on people’s faces when I give them the drawing as gifts so (drawing) will de�initely be a thing in the future,” Wells said. “I will always do art even if it’s not my career…it will always be a side thing at least. “I owe it all to my teacher (Mr. Lohmeier) and I am very thankful for him. I don’t know if he will read this, but I am very grateful for all the people supporting me and this is kind of a really big thing.”

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