Portrait by Maple Ridge teen a finalist in global competition

Portrait by Maple Ridge teen a finalist in global competition

A 13-year-old Maple Ridge artist is a finalist in a global art competition for a portrait he did of his great uncle. Declan O’Connell, a Grade 8 student at Westview Secondary in Maple Ridge, drew the portrait after his great uncle passed away in March 2025, after his uncle battled long and hard from a fall in 2024. Declan was in Grade 4 when he first started drawing and sketching and realized that his favourite medium was charcoal pencil and his…