The first time someone enters a competition, it isn’t often they win. Many times it takes several tries, but not for Moorestown rising 10th grader Terry Nguyen.
With her first competition submission, Nguyen won first place in the 3rd Congressional District as part of the nationwide Congressional Art Competition 2015 sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. The competition rewards talented high school students for their artistic abilities and dedication.
“I was very excited and happy to win because it was my first art competition that I ever participated in,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen has always liked art. It brings peace to her mind and urges her to utilize maximum power to come up with new and creative ideas.
In fourth grade, she began taking art classes outside of school. There, she learned the fundamentals and improved her art skills.
“I have loved art since I was young. I started taking art classes outside of school when I was in fourth grade because it gave peace to my mind and allowed me to think outside of the box. After I’m finished, I feel very proud of it and I just enjoy looking at the work I have done. It’s been a long-time hobby of mine,” Nguyen said.
She learned about the contest through her teacher John Shing, who owns a private studio she goes to every week. He mentioned she should try out and she decided to do so.
With only a month to prepare, as she was a little late knowing about the contest, Nguyen worked every day, at least an hour and a half on the weekends and about an hour during the week.
For her idea for the painting, Nguyen thought about America and asked herself what would represent it well.
She was inspired when she read a news article about the farewell of Judge, a K-9 dog. She was touched by the bond between a police officer and his dog, as well as their services. Nguyen was also inspired by one of her favorite movies “Hachi,” which centers on the special bond between Hachi, a dog, and his owner. So she painted a soldier and the bond between him and his dog.
Nguyen started off with a sketch, using references from textbooks, movies, articles and the Internet. Then she painted her work with acrylic paint on canvas.
After the piece was done, Nguyen stood back and gave it a good, hard look. She wanted to highlight the special bond between the canine and handler, so she decided on “Dear Friend” as the title.
“It is simple, two words, but to me, I think they hold a lot of meaning to them,” Nguyen said.
According to Nguyen’s description: “This painting is focused on the deep and affectionate bond between a soldier and his dog companion. A moment of their peace and happiness is captured as the resting soldier leans and holds his German shepherd while facing toward the horizon. Despite the horror and fear of warfare, their presence provides a sense of loyalty, friendship, reliance, protection and comfort for each other. In mind, body and spirit, the connections between these two friends are weaved intangibly.”
Nguyen was very excited and happy to enter her first competition and didn’t want to disappoint herself. She was satisfied with her work, but didn’t expect to win.
About a month after submission, Rep. Tom MacArthur called and congratulated Nguyen. She was ecstatic.
“I feel very proud of it because I put a lot of effort into the piece. I’m really glad all of my hard work paid off in the end,” Nguyen said.
After the phone call, Nguyen received a letter inviting her to the Congressional Art Competition Winner’s reception in Washington, D.C., for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Capitol Building on June 24.
Nguyen isn’t sure she will pursue a career in art.
“Honestly, not sure what I want to do. I really do hope that I can keep (art) throughout my life and still have time for it. I’m not sure if it is career option for me, but I still believe art plays a major role in our industry today,” Nguyen said.
