Talented yet humble student, senior Brittany Butler has made a spectacular piece for an art contest sponsored by Congress.

Butler’s inspiration started when she realized she wanted to do something patriotic. She wanted to incorporate the Statue of Liberty, so she did so, and then included a red, white and blue sky in the background to show off America’s colors a bit more.

Butler explains that you can interpret one of the main figures of the painting, the girl with chains, in many ways. “It could be symbolic of a citizen or a group of people,” says Butler, when describing its abstract meaning.

Butler, a student of Mr. Wallisch’s, worked on this piece for a month with much pressure from her classmates and mentors.

Her favorite part was the background of the painting. “I put my own twist on it,” she explained about the well-blended and pigmented background.

Butler’s biggest difficulty was trying to get the painting to look realistic in different aspects, and also getting it done on time.

The artwork will be on display at the Westmoreland Mall on Saturday, April 8 from 11 AM- 2 PM.

The winning piece will be on display in the walkway between the Capitol Building and the House office buildings for one year.

The second and third place winners will have their artwork on display in Congressman Murphy’s Washington, D.C office for one year.

A People’s Choice Award will also be given to a piece. This artwork will hang in Congressman Murphy’s Mt. Lebanon office for one year.