Claire Shen spent three months turning a Metra ride into an oil painting. The 16-year-old Naperville Central High School student placed second internationally in the Classic Art category of the 2026 Sister Cities International Young Artists and Authors Showcase, announced Friday, July 24, at the organization's 70th Anniversary Homecoming in Washington, D.C.
Her piece, "Through the Looking Glass," combines oil paint and charcoal to depict two girls on a train, with a charcoal cityscape beyond the window representing a future still taking shape. Shen competed in the 15-to-18 age group.
"Watching the neighborhoods transition into the city's skyline, I began to see the journey as a metaphor for change, growth and the unknown future," Shen told the Chicago Tribune. "The train window serves as a portal between the familiar and the unknown."
The inspiration came from a familiar commute. Shen said the painting grew out of a train ride from Naperville to Chicago, where the suburban landscape gives way to the downtown skyline.
This year's showcase theme, "Voices of Today, Visions of Tomorrow," marked both the United States' 250th anniversary and Sister Cities International's 70th. The competition invites original works of art, writing, photography, film and music from young people worldwide. As a second-place winner, Shen will receive a cash prize and have her artwork featured on Sister Cities International's global platforms.
A year of national recognition
The Sister Cities honor caps a remarkable stretch for Shen, who will be a junior at Naperville Central this fall. She won the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for Illinois' 11th Congressional District, putting her work on display in the U.S. Capitol. She also earned a 2026 National Gold Medal in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Her paintings have appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Nichols Library (200 W Jefferson Ave) in downtown Naperville, Naperville Fine Art Center & Gallery, and Lisle Public Library's Gallery 777.
A Naperville mentor
Shen credits artist Bing Ma at M.Y. Art Studio in Naperville for shaping her development. The studio's student exhibition, "Beyond the Landscape," is on display at Lisle Library District's Gallery 777 at 777 Front Street in Lisle through Monday, August 31. Admission is free.
