FAIRFIELD, CT — For Allison Rowland, a senior at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, drawing wasn’t always her passion.
Yes, she always enjoyed it, but when she was younger, she was more into ceramics and pottery, but during her sophomore year, she began to take her drawing skills more seriously, and this spring that focus paid off.
Allison recently won first place in the Congressional Institute’s 2024 Congressional Art Competition (Representing the 4th District) with her chalk pastel drawing entitled, “Unnatural Habitat.” See the image above.
The picture, which has a realistic, yet almost surreal quality, shows fruit on a table reflecting on glass jars, with a betta fish thrown in for good measure.
“Our art teacher, Ms. [Johanna] Estevez, wanted us to draw a still life of mostly fruit, but she also wanted us to try distortion,” Allison told Patch, adding that she has incorporated glass imagery into other art projects. “She wanted us to do a more intricate drawing incorporating glass and still life objects.”
Allison designed the composition herself, using jars and fruit that Estevez brought to class along with the betta fish.
“I’d never drawn a fish before, so I thought it would be interesting,” Allison said, adding that she intends to do a double-major in Environmental Science and Studio Art next year when she enrolls at Hamilton College in New York.
It took Allison three months to draw the picture, one of 15 pieces she had to draw to complete the class this year. She had to take the winning piece home in order to finish it, instead of only working on it during class.
“I did a whole photo shoot in order to work on it at home,” Allison said. “I took so many photos, and I ended up sort of moving things around. For instance, originally, the fish was in the jar on the left, but ended up moving it to the jar on the right, because I thought it looked better.”
As a medium, chalk pastels have become a favorite for Allison.
“I like to draw very realistic drawings, and I really like to add detail, and it’s a lot simpler to add detail with chalk pastel, and blending it with the right colors,” she said. “And you have to use your fingers a lot, which I like because it’s fun to blend the colors with your fingers.”
A reception for the winners of the Congressional contest will be held on June 27 in Washington, D.C. in the Capitol Visitor Center Congressional Auditorium, and Allison will be attending with her parents and sister.
“We also booked a White House tour,” Allison said. “We’re going to spend a couple of days in the city, so I’m really excited.”
In the meantime, Allison is wrapping up her Senior Experience project with the Mill River Wetland Committee, in which she is filming a time-lapse video of the tides coming in and going out at the Mill River Estuary.
“All total, the Senior Experience will be 50 hours,” Allison said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
The Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition each spring, with 2024 being the competition’s 43rd year. Allison’s piece was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-4th), and it will be on display at the U.S. Capitol for one year.
