Westminster junior, Emily Jordan, won first place in the ACCS (Association of Classical Christian Schools) Blakely Prize in Fine Art drawing competition. According to ACCS, this competition included high school students (grades 9–12) from ACCS-accredited schools who competed with their peers from other ACCS-accredited schools in a national visual arts competition. Each school could only enter one student’s artwork in the drawing category and one student’s artwork in the painting category. Emily will receive a cash prize of $1000 and her art will be presented at the ACCS conference in Atlanta. Currently, Emily’s artwork is on display in the Westminster lobby.

Along with her art, Emily wrote an essay about her piece. She discussed what medium she used, which artists influenced her style and technique, as well as the subject of her drawing. She wrote: “A graphite representation of a photography that I took of my grandparents, this piece was influenced by a variety of sources. First and foremost, it was inspired by the subjects themselves, who have consistently demonstrated through their lives and character what it means to live and grow in love and virtue with the Lord and with one another. The concept employed within my reference photograph was drawn from the work of the Italian photographer, Gianfranco Meloni, whose unique and move portraiture is well suited to my own artistic style. The stylistic elements which I chose to implement within this piece reflect the work of the Baroque master, Michelangelo Caravaggio, whose dramatic use of chiaroscuro never fails to lean an undeniable emotional depth to his work. Finally, I sought to emulate the clarity and realism captured by contemporary artists Paul Cadden and Dirk Dzimirsky. These artists have all influenced me in my pursuit to reflect the image of God as it is woven into the stunning intricacies of the human form.”