Selected — Newcastle senior’s painting chosen for governor’s mansion

Newcastle High School senior Courtney Matthews was confused when her hummingbird painting disappeared from its display at the Wyoming High School Art Symposium, held April 29 to May 1 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.

The symposium featured roughly 5,000 pieces of student artwork from schools across Wyoming, according to a press release from the Wyoming Secondary Art Educators Association. About 1,500 students and 75 high school art educators participated.

Moments after Matthews noticed her painting was gone, her confusion turned into excitement. She and her teacher, Brandi Marshall, rushed to the front of the symposium to confirm whether their suspicion was correct.

It was.

Matthews’ acrylic painting, “80 Beats a Second,” which she originally painted as a birthday gift for her mother, was selected by Wyoming first lady Jennie Gordon as one of 20 pieces that will hang in the Wyoming Governor’s Mansion for one year.

“I was blown away, and of course I had to call my mom to break the news,” Matthews said. “I ended up crying and my adrenaline was spiked the rest of the time we were at the symposium.”

Matthews said her mother was excited and proud, though jokingly upset she would have to wait a year to have her gift back.

“We’ve always loved hummingbirds when I was growing up, and she has a hummingbird tattoo on her forearm,” Matthews said. “I wanted to paint something with some sort of meaning to her and to us.”

She said the painting took several weeks to complete. Matthews said creating art has been part of her life for as long as she can remember.

“I’ve been creating art my whole life, ask anyone in my family,” Matthews said. “Whether it’s drawing, painting or even coloring, I’ve always considered myself a pretty artistic person.”

The painting’s origin as a birthday gift reflected a pattern that began long before Matthews ever entered statewide competitions. Some of her earliest artwork, she said, was created for family and friends when drawing was the only gift she could afford to give.

“Obviously, when I was younger, I was not able to buy anything for gifts, so I would always draw something up that I knew the recipient would like,” Matthews said.

Marshall, who teaches art at Newcastle Middle School and NHS, said Matthews’ ability to capture fine detail sets her work apart.

“Courtney is known for her impressive realism and attention to detail,” Marshall said. “She has taken every one of my art classes, and even repeated some, and soaked up everything she could learn.”

Marshall said Matthews also spends a lot of time refining her work.

“She is also very determined and spends many, many hours on each piece to make it perfect,” Marshall said.

Matthews said adding intricate detail has become second nature in her artwork.

“It’s hard for me to paint anything simple,” she said. “I’ve tried, and I just can’t help but add those tiny details.”

Even when the process becomes frustrating, she said, the finished work makes it worthwhile.

“Honestly, my favorite part of creating art is seeing the final result,” Matthews said. “The process is fun, but I get really frustrated and over it pretty quick, but it’s worth it every single time.”

Marshall said the statewide recognition carries extra significance for Newcastle, a 3A school competing against much larger districts. The 14 Newcastle High School students who attended the event earned a total of 12 ribbons.

“This statewide competition includes every school in Wyoming, not divided by regions or anything,” Marshall said. “For a small 3A school to compete against thousands of other pieces and bring home this many ribbons is a huge accomplishment.”

Marshall said Matthews’ work reflected the type of artwork often selected for the first lady’s award.

“The first lady award usually goes to pieces that represent Wyoming,” Marshall said. “Courtney’s piece, aside from amazing craftsmanship, stood out in its representation of our state’s beautiful wildlife.”

Marshall said Matthews’ years of work and technical skill made the recognition unsurprising.

“I am incredibly proud of Courtney. I know how hard she worked all four years and she definitely deserved this award,” Marshall said.

Though Matthews has not finalized her plans after graduation, she has considered becoming a tattoo artist and has already begun accepting commissions for custom paintings.

Meanwhile, she hopes viewers visiting the Wyoming Governor’s Mansion connect with her piece.

“It’s such an honor to know a painting of mine will be displayed at the governor’s residence, and I hope everyone who sees it will like it,” Matthews said.

NHS students earn art honors

Newcastle High School took the following 14 students to the Wyoming High School Art Symposium April 29-May 1 in Casper, according to art teacher Brandi Marshall:

Kaitlyn Blumenthal, senior

Kendrick Blumenthal, junior

Owen Cummings, junior

Scottlyn Hildebrandt, junior

Astrid Karr, senior

Brynne Kilby, senior

Maggie Lacey, senior

Laila Lopez, senior

Courtney Matthews, senior

Myreli Munoz, senior

Lucas Scribner, junior

Haley Smith, junior

Maddie Sterriker, senior

Ashlynn Wildermuth, junior

Matthews, Lacey, Wilder-muth, Sterriker and Kilby received blue ribbons at the symposium, Marshall said. Art teachers from across Wyoming judge the competition, with each teacher selecting 15 pieces for blue-ribbon recognition.

Award recipients were the following:

Brynne Kilby: 1 blue ribbon

Maggie Lacey: 1 blue ribbon

Courtney Matthews: 4 blue ribbons and a First Lady Choice award

Maddie Sterriker: 4 blue ribbons

Ashlynn Wildermuth: 2 blue ribbons

Matthews’ painting was one of 20 pieces statewide selected by Wyoming first lady Jennie Gordon for display in the Wyoming Governor’s Mansion for one year.