West Milford teen takes first place in congressional art contest

West Milford — Kayla Osbourne was selected as the top winner in the fifth congressional district and was awarded her ribbon by Congressmen Scott Garrett at a gala reception at Sussex County Community College. Kayla’s inspiration was her twin brother, Ben, and their dog Mason. Ben was just relaxing with the dog and Kayla was inspired to draw the two and then translated the image into a scratch board. The title of the work is “If I could read your mind.” She said she called it this because she thought Ben was wondering what their dog was thinking. Kayla completed this drawing in a scratch board, a chalk covered board with ink on top of the chalk. Different textures were applied in the correct locations to bring out the highlights and subtle value changes within the work. The dark shadowed areas remain black with no texturing applied. The ink and chalk are removed by scratching carefully with an X-acto knife. Kayla is one of 13 students to represent New Jersey in Washington DC. In June, approximately 430 students from around the country were recognized at the National Gala Reception in our nation’s capitol. She attended a full day of events ending in the awards reception. Her artwork will hang in the halls of the Capitol Building for the entire year. Kayla is the first West Milford student to receive this prestigious award. Congratulations Kayla!