VIDALIA — Marcus Chatman knows his way around a sketchpad, but a wooden ornament and paintbrushes presented a new set of challenges for the Vidalia High School ninth grader.

But Chatman proved the task wasn’t too difficult as he produced a colorful ornament that will be displayed at the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge throughout December.

Each year, Louisiana’s First Lady Supriya Jindal hosts an annual Christmas ornament contest, which is open to students from all 64 parishes in Louisiana.

Jindal asked superintendents across Louisiana to have 12 ornaments from their districts decorated by students for display in the mansion. Included in the display are ornaments decorated in celebration of the mansion’s 50th anniversary.

Additionally, 21 ornaments were selected for display on the student art wall in the mansion rotunda.

The ornaments are wooden and are carved in the shape of the State of Louisiana.

Chatman, a first-year art student of Robert Rasberry and Fran Nolan in the talent visual arts program of Concordia Parish, said his teachers gave him the ornament the first week of December.

“(Rasberry) told us that we would be designing the ornaments for the governor’s mansion, but I didn’t think mine would get picked,” Chatman said. “I didn’t realize I was selected until (VHS Principal) Rick Brown called me to his office and told me.

“I was shocked.”

Chatman used acrylic paint to illustrate the fierce “eye of the tiger” also used in the Louisiana State University logo.

Yellow and purple spots that symbolize the university’s team colors surround the eye on the ornament and represent positive and negative space, which Chatman is exploring in his class.

“This is my first-ever painting, and I just wanted to try something new because I do a lot of drawings,” Chatman said. “I like LSU football, so I chose that.”

Chatman, who plays wide receiver and defensive end on the school’s football team, said he’s always been a fan of LSU football and hopes to one day attend the university to study art.

“I really like all of my classes here, but I’d like to study art,” he said. “I want to keep drawing and hopefully be able to sell my artwork one day.”

With his first painting under his belt, Chatman began working on his next project — a painting of John F. Kennedy to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his assassination.

The painting also uses positive and negative space featuring a blue and purple background with the president painted in white.

“I like to draw famous people a lot, but I just like to draw anything,” Chatman said. “I thought Kennedy would be good to do because of the 50-year anniversary.”

Chatman is the son of Carl and Diane Chatman of Ferriday.