In The News

West Ottawa senior's triptych illustration wins spot at U.S. Capitol
MLive - Kyle Moroney - May 15, 2013 

HOLLAND, MI -- A West Ottawa High School senior’s triptych graphic illustration will join a Rockford student’s painting on the walls of the U.S. Capitol this year.

Kylee Panse’s art piece, “Vanity,” won the 2013 Congressional Art Competition for Michigan’s second district.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, awarded Panse with the honor during a reception on Saturday, May 11.

"I want to congratulate Kylee and all of the students who entered this year's Congressional Art Competition,” Huizenga said. “I also want to thank all of the teachers and parents who continue to encourage these young artists to stay involved and develop their talents. This is an event I look forward to every year, and this year we received more entries from more schools than ever before. I am encouraged by the competition's continued growth and look forward to see what the imagination and creativity of Second District students come up with in the future."

Panse will join other winners from the country, including Rockford High School senior Elise Shierbeek, in having their art on display for a year at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

“It’s a really big honor and I’m really excited because I worked really hard on it,” Panse said. “I was so surprised because all the pieces were really good. I loved all the pieces that were there.”

The 17-year-old’s triptych illustration – a three-part piece viewed as one – was an assignment in her digital art and design class earlier this year. For inspiration, she took photos of nearby lakes, her backyard and finally, three different pictures of the vanity in her bedroom.

“I came to realize how vain a vanity really is,” Panse said.

While Panse describes herself as not being “artsy,” she enjoys creativity. Over the course of a month, Panse used Adobe Illustrator to transform the vanity pictures into graphic works of art.

“Something that I’ve always liked about the piece is the double meaning behind the title,” said Brian Kelly, Panse’s art teacher at West Ottawa High School. “The piece has such depth to it and how each mirror plays off each other.
“I’m really excited for Kylee,” he added.

Panse will fly to the U.S. Capitol to see her displayed piece in mid-June, she said. The Holland teen plans to attend Michigan State University in the fall.

“It’s really cool that people can see them and I hope they like it,” she said of the high school art that will be on display at the U.S. Capitol.