Meet the Maker:

Maddox Sewell

By Jennifer Jordan

Art. It comes in many forms and styles. People express themselves, their thoughts, and their emotions through a variety of art, such as painting, poetry, music, sculpting, and more. While art is subjective and is viewed differently by people, what is not subjective is Maddox Sewell’s impressive drawing skills.

Maddox Sewell is an 11-year-old who is currently in the fifth grade at Walden Lake Elementary. Mostly using his free time to show steers and heifers while representing the Sewells of Sewell Watson Show Cattle, Maddox has a side hobby of drawing. His drawings are detailed, colorful, and creative, with a drawing he created during his fourth-grade year becoming the cover of his school’s yearbook for the 2021-2022 school year. Maddox was also one of four kids in Hillsborough County to win the Acts of Kindness Art Contest hosted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that contest, elementary school students were asked to draw the Buccaneer’s mascot, Captain Fear, paying it forward with an act of kindness. Maddox was able to meet Captain Fear and some of the Buccaneers’ cheerleaders. Despite the talent, hard work, and creativity put into all his drawings, the artwork garnering the most attention for Maddox is his drawing titled “Actions Speak Louder Than Words.”

According to Maddox, “The drawing is about how the community is showing their voice, but more importantly, helping each other. It also shows the destruction and aftermath of Hurricane Ian, first responders, Edison Theatre, Fort Myers River District, and even Edison Bridge. People unite during these times when they really need it. It’s an opportunity to share words of encouragement and show their community’s support by lending a hand.”

Maddox created the drawing about Hurricane Ian’s landfall in Fort Myers in September 2022 when Hillsborough County schools were closed, and the drawing was entered into the PTA Reflections Competition. The artwork for the competition could be anything as long as it expressed the artist’s voice. Maddox stated about the competition, “I wasn’t going to enter the contest at first because it was voluntary, but my mom encouraged me to draw about Hurricane Ian so I decided to go for it.”

That decision caused Maddox to win the contest for his class, his school, Hillsborough County, and the entire state of Florida. Now Maddox’s artwork is entered in the national PTA Reflections Competition.

Maddox stated about his award-winning drawing, “I was kind of surprised I won for the school, and it was even harder to believe I won for the district. It was almost too good to be true when I won for the state.”

So far, Maddox has won a trophy and ribbon for his drawing. His mom Megan stated about his talent, “I knew his drawing was great, but to see him make it this far in the competition is amazing. He’s definitely more talented than I give him credit for, and he’s always surprising us with his skills.”

In total, Maddox said his drawing “Actions Speak Louder Than Words” took him around 3 days to complete, and he plans to continue creating more drawings in the future.

Maddox said about drawing, “It comes naturally to me; art is my favorite subject. I really enjoy drawing and sketching in my free time. When I grow up, I want to design buildings and I think drawing is a good gateway to get there.” When he’s not showing steers and heifers that he names after his favorite film, Top Gun, Maddox also enjoys traveling and has been to places such as Colorado, Kentucky, and Georgia. No matter where Maddox Sewell goes and what he does, he always does his best, has fun in the process, and puts the “art” in “heart.”