Moore County's Student Draws Up a Winner for USGA page

Student Draws Up a Winner for USGA

Student Draws Up a Winner for USGA
Student Draws Up a Winner for USGAJonathan Bym, The Pilot

Blame Carpenter is used to seeing her artwork on display in the hallways and classrooms at New Century Middle School, but more eyes than ever will get a chance to look at her artistic gift when the U.S. Women’s Open comes to the area in less than a month.

The U.S. Golf Association in February announced the youth poster contest for the 77th playing of the championship at Pine Needles. Carpenter’s work, using colored pencils, Sharpie and paint, was selected as one of the winners for the contest, and with it means more eyes to look at her skill.


“It’s hard to comprehend how many people are going to see it and know that it’s mine. That is something that has ever happened before,” Carpenter said. “I’m very excited to have something that is mine be seen by so many people, other than just my classmates, my teachers and my school.”

Blame Carpenter
Blame Carpenter holds her poster that
won the USGA youth poster contest for
the U.S. Women's Open set for less
than a month from now at Pine Needles
Lodge and Golf Club.
 Art
Blame Carpenter's artwork includes a 
depiction of the par-3 third hole of Pine
Needles Lodge and Golf Club, and the
silhouettes of a female golfer and the
trophy the golfers will be contesting for.

Her illustration incorporates the scenic par-3 third hole, along with the outlines of a female golfer and the Harton S. Semple trophy. The prominent signage will show golf fans and golfers what New Century art teacher Brandon Clothier already knew and sees every day in his advanced art class.

“Blame has been knocking them out of the park this year with a lot of different contests and different things that I have asked her and ‘volun-told’ her to do,” he said. “She had the design and everything for this one with about a week and a half to work on it.”

Outside of small contests at the school — and that one time her work was voted over Clothier’s by classmates in the advanced art class — Carpenter said she had never won an art contest before. For her, art has always been a passion, but also a chance to block out everything else going on in her mind.

“It’s refreshing because it’s a place where I don’t have to focus on much else. I can just focus on what I’m drawing and creating,” Carpenter said. “It started getting really serious about sixth grade. That’s when it started to become something larger than just a hobby.”

The 14-year-old eighth-grader, and daughter of Thomas and Maria Carpenter, focused on the rules and prompt for the contest. The works were judged for originality, creativity and aesthetic. Anyone with a knowledge of Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club can immediately look at Carpenter’s work and spot the picturesque hole she was aiming to recreate.

“I wanted to incorporate something of the actual championship itself. I found what course they were going to be on this year and made that the background,” she said. “I added a silhouette of a woman to make it obvious what it was for, along with the trophy, which is something that everyone is competing for. I felt that was something that brought everyone together for it.”

While she has never watched or played golf, Carpenter said the sport would be “something interesting to try and experience.”

Carpenter has her focus set on pursuing a career in art, and Clothier sees the talents there in the budding artist.

“She’s got a career in art. This piece right here is college portfolio ready,” he said. “When I went to art school, you had to present a portfolio, and pieces like that are what’s going to take her to the next level in getting into schools and getting careers in art.”

Contact Jonathan Bym at (910) 693-2476 or [email protected].
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