Senior Elsie Gendron wins a gold key from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

By Grace Pearson, Editor-in-Chief 

March 21, 2025  

SANFORD, Maine – Sanford High School senior Elsie Gendron won a gold key, silver key, and Congressional Art Awards from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

“These awards offer incredible recognition and the opportunity to be considered for several big art scholarships,” said Margaret Warner, an art teacher and advisor for NAHS at Sanford High School. 

Gendrons favorite mediums are charcoal and gouache; she comes back to them no matter what. The piece, “Eyes Wide Open,” won the most awards and was done with charcoal. “Eyes Wide Open” won a gold key, which means it goes on to get judged internationally. She will find out on March 26 if her piece got national recognition. 

She is very honored to win the awards and get recognition outside of school for all the work put into her art. “It’s also always a cool opportunity to see what other talented artists around Maine are doing since winners get to display their work at MECA&D for a month,” said Gendron. 

She has entered the scholastic art awards for three years now, but this year she could submit a portfolio since she’s a senior. 

“The judging on this is way harsher because it’s a total of 6 works rather than one, and there’s a lot of writing that comes with it (artist statement and personal statement). So, way fewer portfolios get chosen for any kind of recognition. I was lucky enough to win a silver key for mine, which is awesome! I’ve also never won any of the Congressional Art Awards before, so it was fun to get something new and exciting!” said Gendron. 

All her pieces take at least ten hours, usually more, to complete. The self-portrait that won a gold key was done over several spread sessions across multiple weeks. The large painting in her portfolio took her 12 hours in one sitting to finish. 

“It depends on the size, what medium I’m working with, and what I’m drawing/painting. I’m really detail-oriented and put a lot of work into all the pieces I do. I think a lot of people don’t realize how much there is to think about when working on them. I like to really bring out as many textures as I can, so I do a lot of layering and reworking of sections. I also always try to pay attention to my values (scale of lights to darks) as the wider the range of values, the more depth you can create. It’s actually amazing when I turn pieces in on time,” said Gendron. 

“The pieces in this portfolio were all inspired by different emotions I felt,” said Gendron. “I would just feel it, and then I would illustrate what I saw in my head. Sometimes it’s easier than others. I titled it ‘Shattered, Mended, Emerged’ because I picked them out of a larger portfolio of 16 works to best show my journey with my mental health over my Junior year. My emotions inspire most of my art still, just in different ways. Sometimes it’s just as simple as looking at a gumball machine and getting nostalgic. Other times, I watch a movie or show that resonates with me.” 

“Elsie is a remarkable artist and an outstanding human being. She is quirky, expressive, and curious. Elsie feels at home in the art room and while she may be a more quiet and reserved student in her other classes she is a live wire of creativity, and sometimes chaos, in art. She is a positive and effective leader as President of NAHS,” said Warner.  

In the future, Gendron plans to attend art school with a bachelor in fine arts and illustrating or painting, and a minor in printmaking. She wants to make art her full-time career, but she’s not sure what field yet.