Senior Elsie Gendron with her honorably mentioned self-portrait.
Courtesy photo
By Andrew Morin, Sanford High School Senior
Elsie Gendron, a senior at Sanford High School, is one of three students in southern Maine to earn an honorable mention in the annual Congressional Art Competition, an event designed to recognize the artistic talents of students throughout the country. In Maine’s 1st Congressional District, the art submissions are chosen by the Maine College of Art and the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Gendron has spent much of her time in school working to improve her artistic abilities and learning to work in different media. When asked how her passion for art influences her academic life, she stated that art is her priority. “Any free blocks I have,” she said, “I fill with my arts classes if I can.”
Gaining recognition from the Congressional Art Competition is a prestigious achievement that reflects the talent of the artist. So Gendron wanted to challenge herself and submit a special piece that would show the judges her talents. To do this, she decided to submit a realistic self-portrait with many layers of detail. The self-portrait, done in charcoal, depicts her striking an unusual pose with her hands on her face, almost resembling a masquerade mask, with an assortment of jewelry covering her hands.
“I wanted to challenge myself by choosing an unusual pose for the portrait,” she said. “I’m really proud of it. I put a lot of time and detail into it.”
Gendron plans to continue her work with art into the future and to attend the Savannah College of Art in Georgia to pursue a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in painting. She intends to make art her career and continue to develop her skills in the future. “I feel that’s who I am,” she said.
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