BUENA PARK : Teen’s Art Draws Top Poster Prize

At 17, Chris Choi of Buena Park is an old hand at winning art contests.

He won his first award--third place in the La Palma Celebration of the Arts contest--when he was in the seventh grade. Now a recent graduate of Kennedy High School in La Palma, Choi has won $300 and first place in a poster contest aimed at reducing traffic congestion.

The contest, sponsored by AirTouch Cellular, focused on reducing traffic congestion in Southern California through public efforts.

Choi’s poster shows a surrealistic street intersection. Traffic is heavy. Pedestrians look grim--”frustrated and grumpy,” Choi said--because of the congestion.

“I wanted to make it tight as I could,” he said. “And in the upper right-hand corner, I showed the sky in yellow, which is pollution from all the cars.”

AirTouch distributed copies of Choi’s poster throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties during its recent campaign for citizen involvement in fighting traffic.

In addition to winning the AirTouch contest, Choi also recently won two art scholarships totaling $975, all of which he will use to attend Cal State Fullerton.

In his free time, Choi volunteers work for the Cerritos Valley Baptist Church, which has commissioned him to do a mural. He also plays the piano and trumpet and goes to the theater.

Choi said that after college graduation he plans to pursue a career in graphic design or illustration.