HOUSTON — Two very talented young ladies took home top honors at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo School Art Awards on Saturday.
Eliza Hoffman from Clear Creek ISD was named the Grand Champion for her painting titled "Warriors of Great Spirit." The work features two Native Americans on horseback.
Sion Joo, of Pearland ISD, won Reserve Grand Champion for "Consistent Companion," a painting of a man and his dog.
“It's always, in my opinion, really good to seek out opportunities to meet your subject and understand who they are and where they come from cause it helps give a little bit of depth to the painting,” Joo said.
The Rodeo’s School Art Program provides students the opportunity to showcase their gifts with a shot at earning scholarships.
The categories include painting, colored drawing, monochromatic drawing and mixed media, and the competition is fierce.
This year, about 200,000 students from 100 public school districts and 53 private schools participated.
Judges narrowed it down to works of art by the top 72 students. Their artwork will be sold at auction on March 10.
During the rodeo, you can see the artwork on display in the lobby of NRG Center.
The 2023 grand champion winner, a painting titled “Our Last Roundup” by Mia Huckman, of Lamar CISD, sold for a record $275,000.
The 2022 record of $265,000 was also set by Huckman.