A Texas high schooler was named grand champion of a renowned rodeo art show and is set to take home $30,000 when her artwork, an exquisite photo-realistic painting of a rider on horseback herding cows, is sold at auction.
Her acrylic painting, executed on gessoed board, is based on a photo loaned to her by her art teacher that was taken at a real Texas ranch.
“I started working on it in mid-October and finished it in early January,” Mia told The Epoch Times. “The title, ‘Our Last Roundup,’ was intended to reflect some of the changes that have occurred at that ranch since the photo was taken, as well as a bit of my own personal experience with this being the last year that I’m eligible to enter the School Art Contest.”
The detailed painting was challenging, said Mia, who added: “The deadline is always stressful, and I would often end up staying up super late or waking up super early to work on the piece, in between school work and extracurricular activities. A lot of the time I would have to stay home from trips or hanging out with friends to get work done.”
She said it was a challenge to “capture the out-of-focus background of the piece accurately,” as it is not something she has done before.
Mia hoped to convey themes of “peace and tranquility,” “ patience and strength” in her painting. She was encouraged by her school that doing well in the art contest can “lead to lots of beneficial opportunities,” such as selling work at auction.
Mia’s winning painting will be auctioned off on March 12, according to a Lamar School District press release. As far as Mia knows, additional print copies will be made and sold after the auction takes place.
It’s not the first time the young artist has made waves at the HLSR School Art Contest.
Mia was an auction winner in 2020, a Reserve Class Champion for painting in 2021, and a Reserve Grand Champion in 2022 when she broke the record for the highest auction bid received for a student artwork. Her painting “Partners in Time” sold for an incredible $265,000—that’s $15,000 more than the 2022 Grand Champion’s painting sold for.
Mia is inspired by the very subject matter she renders, and by past contest winners; she feels “super proud” that she finally claimed the top title.
“This is something that I’ve been working towards for a very long time, and I’m happy to have accomplished such a difficult goal,” she said. “I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. ... Some of my favorite artists are Norman Rockwell, Haddon Sundblom, and Claude Monet. I take inspiration from tons of art and artists I get exposed to, both modern and throughout history.”
Recently, Mia has been inspired by impressionist works and says that the main difference between Western and other forms of art is the subject matter, “though I will admit I’m far from an expert on this,” she said.
After high school, Mia plans to study for a degree in illustration at Savannah College of Art and Design. “I hope to pursue a career as a concept artist once I graduate,” she said. “Ideally, once I’ve established a career, I'll be able to move abroad and continue getting to do what I love.”
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