There is a secret underground pathway that connects the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., to the Capitol. For senior Hyun-Jin Yoo, this is the current home to her award-winning oil painting.

Yoo’s first oil painting, “In a Moment of Time,” was selected as a winner of the Annual Congressional Art Contest for the 14th Congressional District. “In a Moment of Time” is inspired by Yoo’s photograph of the exterior of a restaurant in San Francisco, which she took as she passed by in a car.

The painting, however, is her rendition of what the interior could be in a moment of time, as the piece’s title reflects. “There are four people in a group talking while there are a lot of things going on at the time, like a car passing or a woman calling on her phone,” Yoo said.

Students submit two-dimensional artwork ranging from paintings and drawings to photographs and silkscreen prints. Winners are representative of all districts in the United States. According to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s Communications Director Lauren Shapiro, Yoo’s painting represents the district very well. Many employees and visitors will see her painting everyday. According to art teacher Deanna Messinger, Gunn has not had a winner during the past seven years she has taught here.

Winners of this contest received Southwest Airline tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend the contest’s reception. Messinger accompanied Yoo on this trip.

Yoo heard about the Annual Congressional Art Contest through Messinger. Three students from Messinger’s classes submitted artwork. “I advise not to be controversial, as it is judged with the idea that it will be displayed in our nation’s capital,” Messinger said. “I encourage them to express something that is personal about their lives, environment, or surroundings that are unique to them, or our area.”

The vignettes embedded in “In a Moment of Time” are characteristic of Yoo’s pieces. According to Yoo, she incorporates many stories into one picture. “One of my art teachers said to go beyond just paper, like you can break through the walls,” Yoo said. “Another art teacher said to express your ideas on the paper and don’t pay too much attention to one thing, but the overall picture. This way you can express your ideas and experiences.”

Besides her latest accomplishment, Yoo also has notable pieces on display locally. Last year, the Palo Alto Art Commission and the Palo Alto Utilities jointly held a public competition that selected 10 artists to paint utility boxes in downtown Palo Alto with solar power themes. Contestants submitted proposals, and a panel of eight judges—seven from the Palo Alto Art Commission and one from the Palo Alto Utilities—chose the winners. Yoo was surprised to be selected as an artist. “I heard the judge was really picky,” Yoo said. Her box is located on Hamilton Avenue in downtown Palo Alto. Yoo was selected to decorate a box.

Yoo’s opportunity to paint in public is different from her usual work. “It was my first time doing public art,” Yoo said. “I was standing in the middle of the street in the sun painting the utility box.” Also, she met fellow utility box painters. “It was fun meeting professional artists,” Yoo said.

Yoo’s artistic talent finds its roots in her childhood. Since kindergarten, her favorite subject has been art, she said. Since her sophomore year, she has been attending an art academy in San Jose. At Gunn, she has taken numerous art classes and is now taking AP Studio Art.

“At this point in Hyun-Jin’s artistic career she is still experimenting with style, which is just right, Messinger said. “However, if I were to describe what I have seen as a pattern in her painting, it would be somewhat of German Expressionism in style, using layers of dark, earth tones, building up a delightful surface texture with expressive quality.” Currently, Yoo is compiling a portfolio for college, where she plans on majoring in art.

Awards and competitions are only snippets that make up the full picture of Yoo’s artistic career and her painting in the Cannon Tunnel is only leading to more accomplishments in the future.