A Sickles High School junior has won a competition that has earned her artwork a spot at the U.S. Capitol. The Tampa Museum of Art, in partnership with U.S. Representative Kathy Castor, holds the annual competition to highlight the artistic talent in Hillsborough County. This year, 71 entries were submitted from 21 high schools throughout Hillsborough County.
This year, Sraddha Karthik, won the 14th Congressional District and Next Generation High School Art Competition. Her artwork, titled “Pensive Gaze” is a graphite self-portrait that tackles perception versus reality.
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“I wanted to see if I could draw myself as I am and not how I think I am,” Sraddha says. She used different shades of graphite to create depth and dimension for her artwork.
Sraddha has been drawing since she was 7-years-old when her parents registered her for an art class. “I don’t have as much time as I used to before high school, but I do try to fit in art as much as possible because it’s really helpful for me to express myself.”
Art will add depth and a unique perspective to Sraddha’s career in architecture, which she plans to pursue after high school. This wasn’t Sraddha’s first art competition—she’s been competing in the Salvador Dali Museum annual art competition since eighth grade, and her artwork has been chosen to be displayed every year.
But it will be her first time visiting Washington, D.C. when she goes for her national showcase this summer. Her artwork will then be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year alongside winners for congressional art competitions from throughout the country.
The panel of judges that chose Sraddha’s artwork was made up of local artists and experts from the Tampa Museum of Art, the Arts Council of Hillsborough County and more.
The exhibition featuring the student’s artwork will be on display at the Tampa Museum of Art through Sunday, April 10.
