Paly sophomore William Lee won the 2009 Congressional Art Competition for California’s 14th Congressional district last Saturday, and his work will be on display in the U.S. Capitol building for a year.

To recognize his achievement, Lee is invited to an awards ceremony on June 24 in Washington, D.C.

Lee did not have any aspirations to win the competition when he applied and just decided to enter a piece after hearing about the competition from his art teacher, Ms. Eng.

“I was really surprised that I actually won,” Lee said. “I usually don’t actively participate in art competitions but since there were no strict guidelines for this contest, it was worth it just to send in a piece that I really liked. I had no expectations to win and it was a total surprise, so I guess it was pretty cool.”

The award-winning piece, entitled “Tears of Liberty,” depicts a soldier with a lone tear running down his face with other troops and the American flag in the background.

“My inspiration for the piece was mostly from what was going on in the world,” Lee said. “There was a lot going on and my piece was…a combination of everything. For one thing, it was a shout out of respect to the people serving us in the military risking their lives every day for our country and freedom of safety. I also was inspired by the election of President Obama and shows how far we come from our prejudices. The piece was inspired by a lot of things and I kind of took all those ideas and put them into one illustration.”

According to his mom Ping Wan, Lee has been interested in art from an early age.

“He has been passionate about the arts since he began taking art classes at a very young age,” Wan said. “As parents we [have been] very supportive with extra lessons.”

While Lee exhibited talent at an early age, Wan credits a lot of Lee’s progress to his art teacher Zhaonan Duan.

“William has also made a great amount of progress through the guidance and teachings of Mr. Duan,” Wan said. “We thank him so much for his persistent dedication in teaching him and guiding him in the arts for so many years.”

While Lee enjoys art, he does not know if it will remain a hobby or if he will pursue art after high school.

“I’m not really sure if I see myself pursuing a career in art, but it’s a possibility,” Lee said. “I’m not really setting a fixed path with art…I don’t really want to think of it as a job right now.”