It’s a repeat for Skylar Boyd.
The Columbia High School senior won the 2019 Congressional Art Competition for Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District for the second consecutive year, U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo announced this week.
Her drawing of the Marion County Courthouse will be on display in the U.S. Capitol for a year, and she’s invited to a reception in Washington that recognizes the winners from every congressional district.
She said Tuesday she was kind of surprised she won it last year, when community voting decided the winner, and then this year when it changed to judges. The 2019 theme was “Mississippi Beautiful,” and Boyd said she decided on the courthouse because it is something really pretty here in Columbia.
She’s been drawing from nearly birth and is multi-talented in different media but said graphite is probably her strong suit. She’s able to make extremely realistic drawings by taking a picture and then focusing in on one small part to draw. For example, when drawing a person, she would direct all her attention to an ear.
Boyd won the 2018 competition with a portrait of actor Jensen Ackles. She then visited Washington over the summer, where she got a personal tour of the Capitol from Palazzo and visited art museums.
“I got to see some paintings by Van Gogh. It was so cool to see that in person,” she said.
Boyd, the daughter of Chastity Boyd Sanders, plans to attend Pearl River Community College in the fall. She said she’d like to pursue a career related to art but would have to figure out how to make that work.
Palazzo praised her art in a statement.
“I’d like to commend Skylar for her hard work and exceptional talent at capturing the Marion County Courthouse perfectly. I know her drawing will impress the millions of visitors able to see it on display in the Capitol,” the congressman said. “I would like to thank everyone who submitted artwork into this year’s competition as well as our judges who selected this year’s winner.”
Pictured Above: Skylar Boyd holds her winning drawing from the 2019 4th Congressional District art competition. The Columbia High School senior also won the contest in 2018.
