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Matthew Gilliland used real life as inspiration for the winning design selected in the 2017 �ֲ���ý Holiday Card competition. His submission was a painting of a snowman with a mortar board hat and �ֲ���ý tassel against the Tulsa skyline.

“I wanted to design a card that evoked the feelings of the season, but that also had a bit of school spirit,” said Gilliland.

Each year, one entry is selected from designs submitted by �ֲ���ý students. For his efforts, Gilliland receives $500 from the �ֲ���ý Foundation and 25 printed copies of the card that features his painting. The card is emailed to �ֲ���ý students, faculty, and staff, and mailed to community members and �ֲ���ý Foundation members.

Gilliland did the painting while a student in Kristal Tomshany's Painting I class, where students learned acrylic paint techniques.

“I only started using acrylic paint as a student at �ֲ���ý, but it has quickly become my favorite medium,” he said. “I really enjoyed everything I was learning, so I wanted to apply it to my entry for the holiday card.”

Gilliland planned to be an artist after graduating from the Art Institute of Dallas but decided he wanted to teach art and came to �ֲ���ý to earn his degree. Following his graduation this month with an Associate degree in Art, he plans to get his Bachelor of Fine Arts and then his master’s degree.

“If I had a ‘pie in the sky’ dream, it might be teaching at Stirling University in Scotland. If I'm being a bit more realistic, I would love to come back to �ֲ���ý as a professor one day,” he said.