Sophomores Colton Johnson and Jera Davis are watching their dream became a reality as both were selected to have artwork displayed in Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe’s office for the next year in Washington, D.C.  They participated in the 2015 Congressional Art Competition presenting artwork with a theme of “Summer in Texas.” They both presented their interpretation of Texas summers by drawing and painting.

Johnson placed second in the competition out of 16 other entries from across Texas. He was notified in May that his artwork was among the top selections from Ratcliffe himself. His drawing consisted of only colored pencils and was titled, “Savor the Little Moments.”

“I was in shock and disbelief until I actually got clarification from Mrs. [Rebecca] Hill that I had received second place,” Johnson said. “It was a great feeling to  have recognition of something you worked so hard on.”

Davis’ artwork was selected as one of the runner-ups and was put into a different competition. Her art was posted onto Ratcliffe’s Facebook page along with two other competitors. The artwork with the most likes was first runner-up, then so on and so forth. Davis received second runner up with around 280 likes on the Facebook photo. Her painting consisted of various colors of acrylic paints and many brushes. The artwork was titled, “Cooled Off.”

“I’m really excited about my work,” Davis said. “I’ve never worked so hard on something and I’m thankful for everyone that liked my picture on Facebook and showed their support, it really means a lot to me.”