Iris Sullivan, a Holy Cross High School junior from Latonia, has won the Connie O’Donnell Student Art Invitational for the second year in a row.
Iris’s winning entry, a charcoal drawing showing a young girl gazing at the Eiffel Tower, was submitted by her art teacher, Craig Lipscomb. It earned her a $50 prize plus $500 for her school’s art program.
The competition is hosted by Behringer-Crawford Museum in honor of the late artist Connie O’Donnell of Villa Hills to offer talented local high school students the opportunity to showcase their work during the museum’s annual freshART event, taking place on Oct. 4.
Iris Sullivan, a junior at Holy Cross High School, won the Connie O’Donnell Student Art Invitational for the second consecutive year.
First runner-up in this year’s competition was Aaron Mufle, a senior at Covington Catholic High School, submitted by art teacher Tim Haders. Second runner-up was Jenna Shriver, a senior at Notre Dame Academy, entered by teacher Matt Eckerle.
Iris said she has been interested in art from about age 10. She said she had always admired a still life of roses that hung on her living room wall. The piece, which was painted by her aunt, was so intriguing for her that it led her to paint her own still lifes.
An appreciation for art runs in her entire family, who hold their own competitions to take photos from which Iris is to make paintings. And a photo is where Iris received her inspiration for her winning piece, Ashlyn on the Del Trocadero. Her charcoal drawing was originally a gift for a family friend to commemorate a visit to France, she said, adding that she personally knows the young girl she depicted in her drawing.
Winning the O’Donnell invitational two years in a row has been a confidence boost for Iris, she said. A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Iris said she can pass hours drawing her own interpretations of the images she finds. “I set weekends off to the side where I can just spend the whole day doing art. And I go to my aunt’s house, because she’s kind of like a drill sergeant. I’ll stay on one area of the art for a while and not move on.”
Iris is broadening her skills by taking a variety of art classes at her school and other local institutions. Though her favorite medium is charcoal, she is experimenting in other forms of art, especially pointillism.
When asked if she plans to enter the O’Donnell competition again in her senior year, Iris responded, “Definitely.”
Iris’s drawing and submissions by other student artists are on display at BCM now through the freshART livestream auction on Oct. 4. To buy tickets and view and bid on pieces by more than 50 local artists, go to freshART2020.givesmart.com. Proceeds from freshART benefit the museum’s youth education programs.
For more information, call (859) 491-4003, email info@bcmuseum.org or visit www.bcmuseum.org.
From Behringer-Crawford Museum
