Caribou Middle School seventh-grade student, Jessica Leavitt, recently received a first-place state-level award for artwork she submitted to a federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest.
Leavitt, age 12, used colored pencils and pastels to draw a mottled duck for her entry in the 2017 competition. She recently travelled to contest sponsor LL Bean in Freeport to accept her prize.
The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and encourages students in grades K-12 to create designs featuring ducks, swans or geese in their natural habitats. Designs were judged in four age categories, with awards presented for first, second and third places and honorable mentions.
This year the judging took place at L.L.Bean where the winning artwork was displayed in the Camping Department Atrium.
Caribou Middle School seventh-grade student, Jessica Leavitt, received a first-place award for her artwork at LL Bean in Freeport recently. Jessica used colored pencils and pastels to complete her drawing of a mottled duck as part of the 2017 Junior Duck Stamp Program, sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and intended to encourage students in grades K-12 to create designs featuring ducks, swans or geese in their natural habitats. (Contributed)
The Maine Best of Show entry will compete with winners from other states in a national competition. The national winning design is used to create the federal Junior Duck Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of Junior Duck Stamps support conservation education by providing awards and scholarships.
Jessica is the daughter of Jill and Wade Leavitt of Connor Twp.
She said her interest in art started at an early age.
“My influence in art came from many places, my Mom dabbled in paint and my Dad did some sketching, but one of my main influences was my pre-K teacher … Mrs. Judy Babbage. She saw that I had a love for art and completely embraced it, showing me as much as she could and opening my eyes to different styles, mediums, and tips. I definitely couldn’t have continued in my artistic journey without her extensive knowledge,” Jessica said.
“I like the independant feel of just interpreting your subject however you like in order to make a unique artistic statement. My biggest challenge is finding motivation in a blank canvas, which can be very hard. But as long as you start something, the initial leap is over and you can go from there.”
