La Costa Canyon students win awards in Congressional Art Competition

Three La Costa Canyon High School student artists won first place, second place and an honorable mention in this year’s 49th District Congressional Art Competition.

“This is the first time LCC has won his honor and to have three students among the top contestants is truly amazing,” said the artists’ teacher Silvia Wiedmann.

In a video announcement on April 18, Congressman Mike Levin said they received 127 amazing art submissions this year from seven different high schools in his region and he was impressed by the quality of the work.

LCC sophomore Clementine Thomson was named the overall winner for her piece “California Cars”, a painting depicting bright, ‘50s-era cars cruising down the scenic 101. In addition to a $500 cash prize, her painting will be shipped to Washington D.C. to be hung in the U.S. Capitol for a year alongside winners from competitions all throughout the country.

“It’s a charming painting…it’s full of so much nostalgia,” said Maria Mingalone, executive director of the Oceanside Museum of Art and chair of the judging panel. “The landscape is faithfully rendered and pretty much anyone familiar with the region would recognize this bit of coastline. We thought it would be the perfect artwork to represent our region in Washington D.C.”

Senior Angelina Ciampi won second place.

(Silvia Wiedmann)

Senior Angelina Ciampi’s “First Light” took second place, earning a $300 cash prize. Her painting featured hidden layers against a hip and dreamy color palette.

“There’s so much that’s going on here, you could stare at this for a long time and just keep seeing new things,” said Mingalone. “The black contour lines are features of a face and as it comes into focus you’ll see what an amazing skill that it takes to use line to create that three-dimensional effect. Overall it definitely keeps the eyes occupied.”

Sophomore Victoria Allison earned honorable mention.

(Silvia Weidmann)

Sophomore Victoria Allison won one of 12 honorable mentions for her piece, “Last Dance”. In her painting, the real feathers of a sassy showgirl’s skirt spill over edge of the painting, as does the feather in her headpiece.

“We love this piece, it’s such feel-good piece and it puts a smile on your face,” Mingalone said. “There’s so much creativity that Victoria used in terms of the actual materials in making her artwork.”

The students’ artwork will be on display at the Oceanside Museum of Art from Saturday, April 23 through Sunday, May 22, following a reception with Congressman Levin. The museum is located at 704 Pier View Way in Oceanside. Visit oma-online.org.