As Jesenia Solis shows her art portfolio to prospective employers around the Waukegan area, she has one piece, “Distortion,” to show, which has a home through next spring that few people can claim.
“Distortion” is one of 435 works of art hanging in the tunnel connecting the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., to the U.S. Capitol, where members of the U.S. House of Representatives and others working there see it when Congress is in session.
An image of a bird bisecting a winged angel — two of Solis’ favorite things — drawn with charcoal pencil earned Solis the top prize in the 2025 Congressional Art Contest for high school students in the 10th Congressional District.
Solis, a 2025 Waukegan High School graduate, became the fourth Waukegan student in the last five years to earn top honors in the Congressional Art Contest for the 10th District, where she was honored in May at the College of Lake County in Grayslake.
“I was really excited and happy when I won,” Solis said last week. “There was disbelief. There were many other good pieces of art that could have won. My teacher helped me select my project.”
Amy Frankel, a Waukegan High School art teacher who has watched Solis grow as an artist during her four years there, said the project — all her students engaged — involved inserting one image into a second figure.
Frankel said the creative idea of meshing two images into one was pioneered by 1998 Waukegan High School graduate Melissa Wilkins. She is now a professional artist living in New York.
“Angels look innocent,” Solis said. “The way birds hang in the air, they look so free. This is why I draw them a lot.”
Not surprised by Solis’ selection as the contest winner, Frankel said by the time she became a senior, Solis’ art went to a new level. Her commitment has accelerated, and so has the quality of her projects.
“She is an amazing talent,” Frankel said. “Not only does she work hard on her projects, she came in her lunch period to work on her art. If I make a suggestion, she takes it in like a sponge. Her work really exploded last year.”
Winning the annual Congressional Art Contest for the 10th District is not unusual for Waukegan High School artists.
“We have a really strong art program starting in kindergarten, “ Frankel said, referring to all schools in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. “The school district and the city support the arts, and it is strong in all the Waukegan public schools.”
Ashley Phillips, another 2025 Waukegan High School graduate, took second place in the Congressional Art Contest.
As soon as she turned 18 in January, Solis said she began her job search in earnest. She said she wants to be a tattoo artist. The state of Illinois requires tattoo artists to be 18 before they can have a tattoo or put one on another person.
“People express themselves through tattoos, and I would be able to help them with that,” Solis said. “I’m looking for an internship at a tattoo shop.”
Within a week of turning 18, Solis said she got her first tattoo. She has two. One is a bird identical to the image that both her sister, 25, and brother, 20, have.
“My first one matched my siblings,” Solis said. “It feels nice. We all planned it together.”
