Senior Lauren Puttock has won the University of South Carolina’s third holiday card design contest for her acrylic painting of Cocky reading on a snowy day.
President Michael Amiridis and First Lady Ero Aggelopoulou-Amiridis chose the artwork for the cover of their annual greeting card, which will reach around 5,000 USC alumni, donors and friends by mail.
A psychology major with a neuroscience minor, Puttock says making art is an outlet for her creativity and expression.
“Art has always been something that I’ve worked on while I was growing up,” she says. “You can work on art while you listen to music or while you watch a show, and it’s very calming.”
Puttock hopes to work in clinical psychology as a practitioner or researcher. She’s writing her Honors College thesis on her research with USC’s Early Social Development Lab.
She also leads a campus organization called “Art Therapy Club,” which brings members together for group art projects. Like the name suggests, the club gives artists of all skill levels a place to connect with others and unwind in a relaxing atmosphere.
“Art can always be something that’s therapeutic for people,” Puttock says. “We play music. We move all the tables and chairs aside, and we sit on the floor together so we can all talk.”
Puttock says she may one day use art in a clinical setting, but for now her artistic pursuits are mainly for personal enjoyment. That doesn’t mean she’s not open to a good prompt.
In the fall of 2023, Puttock saw an email inviting students to enter the holiday card design contest. She set up an easel that night and painted her entry in a few hours.
On her first try at the contest, Puttock didn’t win or place as runner-up. But when the entry period came around again this year, she resubmitted the painting and won.
“I think there’s a lesson in there: ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,’” she says.
President Amiridis says the painting was familiar as he and the first lady went through the 71 entries from more than 50 students for this year’s contest. Each year they look for something that captures the unique spirit of the season, and Puttock’s painting stood out for 2024.
“Michael and I admire the almost dreamlike quality of Lauren’s painting and the calm, almost spiritual feeling it evokes,” Aggelopoulou-Amiridis says. “The details Lauren put in by hand make the painting seem like a gift from a dear friend, which adds a feeling of warmth and connection we wish to share with the entire community this holiday season.”
Puttock says she chose an abstract style to capture a cozy and cheerful look. The scene is loosely based on the Horseshoe and LeConte College. While she wanted the painting to be “less rooted in reality,” her inspiration comes from real life.
“I remember my freshman year, there was a very light dusting of snow. My friend dragged me out of the dorm, and we went to the Horseshoe. Cocky was there, and people were throwing snowballs,” she says.
Originally from Arlington, Virginia, Puttock says she chose the University of South Carolina in part because of the beauty of the Horseshoe.
“It’s one of my favorite places on campus, which is why I picked that as part of the work. When I was visiting USC, it’s what made me fall in love with campus.”
Students from all eight USC campuses and online are welcome to enter the annual contest. This year, a student from USC Upstate, Victoria Rusev, is a runner-up, along with Renee Herzer from USC Columbia. They received $250 gift cards, and Puttock received a $500 gift card.