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Students compete for shot at rodeo art show
Published January 10, 2009
LAKE JACKSON — Leslie Swirsky’s picture of a horse leaning over a fence, which she titled “Wake up and Smell the Roses,” is so realistic, the horse seems to be coming off the page.
“It’s my hobby,” Swirsky said. “I took some private art lessons when I was young and have taken art through high school.”
Swirsky’s colored-pencil drawing was among about 100 works of art on display Friday night at Brazos Mall for the Brazosport ISD Houston Livestock and Rodeo Art Show. The art, done in various media, depicts horses, cowboys and farm and Western scenes to comply with the Houston show’s rules.
For Swirsky, a Brazoswood High School senior, putting her hobby into the competition has paid off when her works were selected for the Houston show.
“Hers have been auctioned off two years in a row,” said Michele Stallard, chairwoman of the BISD show. “And that’s just amazing.”
Swirsky’s picture of two sleeping baby goats earned $30,000 at auction last year, $2,000 of which she was able to keep for herself, she said. The remaining money is used to fund Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarships. As a sophomore, her picture of a horse standing next to a fence earned her a similar amount, she said.
“I like to do photo realism, so I really enjoy this,” Swirsky said.
Brazoswood art teacher Connie Middleton has enjoyed seeing Swirsky and her other students achieve success at the Houston rodeo. In 2006 alone, Middleton had seven students make it to the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show.
“When they do it their way, that’s the best art,” Middleton said. “I encourage them to find their own voice. They’re very gifted.”
Brazoswood students had five weeks to complete their art because of other projects they were working on earlier in the year.
“They had to learn to meet a deadline and not just finish, but finish with quality,” Middleton said.
Students are instructed to work off of a photo that is “country,” teaching them to meet what the customer wants, she said.
Savannah Notgrass, another of Middleton’s students, is competing at the local show for the third time. She hopes this will be the year she makes it to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo — but isn’t sure she wants her picture put up for auction, she said. Her colored-pencil drawing called “Sun-Kissed” depicts a horse standing next to a fence ready to be saddled.
“I love trying new things,” Notgrass said. “It’s fun to see everyone’s progress.”
Notgrass plans to attend an art institute and find a way to combine travel with her art, she said.
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo judges were to walk the maze of pictures Friday night to decide which artists would move on to compete at the Houston show.
In the high school category, judges choose a best of show, two gold medals and as many as eight special merits to compete in Houston, said Chuck Senecal, Brazosport High School art teacher.
“You never know what the judges want,” Middleton said.
At the Houston show, all of the artwork will start out even — the judges won’t know how the pieces placed at their local show, Senecal said.
More than 330,000 students compete at local shows for the chance to win a ticket to the Houston event, and about 555 students will make it to the rodeo. Of those, only 50 to 55 students are selected for the auction, where they sell their art for up to $185,000, he said.
“It’s really an honor to get to Houston,” Senecal said. “But it is a tremendous honor to get to auction.”
Junior high and elementary students also competed at Friday’s art show. Up to three junior high students and one elementary student could be asked to compete in Houston, Stallard said.
However, those pictures won’t compete for auction, but for the artist to win a week of art school in the summer at Glassell School of Art, Stallard said.
“Students come back excited because they are able to work with other extremely talented students,” she said.
Brazosport and Brazoswood high schools competed at Friday night’s show, but teachers say there is no competition between the two schools.
“We’re ‘Team BISD,’” Middleton said.
Katlynn Lanham covers Brazosport ISD for The Facts. Contact her at (979) 237-0150.
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