TYLER, Texas — There's little doubt that Texas is home to a lot of talent. In this edition of Hooked On East Texas, we introduce you to some students who are reeling in recognition for their fish art.
Famous essayist Oscar Wilde once wrote that "art imitates life". And art is on vibrant display at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.
Jackson White, of Hawkins, is a third grader who took home second place in his age category.
“My fish is usually a native fish to Texas," White said. "Most of the time was spent on the detail of the fish. I used some of the paint pens for the gold and pencil and the background is all the watercolor with a little bit of pencil.”
The Texas State Fish Art contest is part of the TFFC’s educational outreach. Kate Barkelow, education and interpretation coordinator, said there is one basic requirement when entering the contest.
"All they have to do is pick a fish found in Texas and submit a piece," Barkelow said.
Another requirement is that the work must be two-dimensional. But the works can be of acrylic, markers, ink, dot art and watercolor and other materials.
“So we have quite an array of beautiful fish and many different colors and it’s amazing to see the artwork that comes in from our Texas students," Barkelow added.
Pictures inspire some of the pieces. Sometimes it’s fish habitat. For instance, if you study one of the pictures, you may find the fish hiding in this picture of a Sargassum (a form of algae).
“And if you look closely, you can see some of these other critters that are hanging out in the plants as well so a really dynamic, really interesting piece”, Barkelow said.
Other young artists draw from experience.
“I do know that we have some of our children are anglers and they are inspired by their own catches," Barkelow said.
The artwork comes from all over the state of Texas, and it’s broken up into categories, four of them based on grade levels. Two of the winners from the state of Texas are being recognized nationally.
As a national winner, Arim Jun, a Dallas sophomore, won scholarship money for college.
“I did a stripe bass and I thought it was really pretty because of the stripes in the bass and I thought it was unique, so I tried that," Jun said.
The winners were recently honored at a State Fish Art contest, took their works of art home. Jackson White has the perfect place for his work of art.
“I was going to give it to my grandma,” White said.
The celebration honors hard work. Some of these pieces took months to complete.
But in the end it’s more than art, it’s about making a connection.
"And it’s really to encourage and get the kids into fish and fishing," Barkelow added. "That way they can learn more about their species and hopefully get them more involved in conservation.”
Next year's Texas fish art contest will open shortly after the new school year start. Artwork is usually accepted through the end of February with winners announced next spring.