AUSTIN – Thrall High School students placed in the statewide Rodeo Austin Youth Art Show at the Rodeo Austin Fairgrounds.
The Youth Art Show enables students to express their creativity and showcase their skills, while earning money towards future goals. Texas high school students submit traditional, photography, digital, sculpture or 3D artwork.
Junior Michael Machala won as Digital Class Champion with his superimposed composition called “Gone to Texas.” The piece will be sold during the live youth auction March 25 at the Rodeo Austin Fairgrounds.
“I really like graphic design because Photoshop helps me translate what is in my head onto the page,” Machala said about his composition that featured a mounted cowboy superimposed on an old Texas map. “I don’t consider myself artistic, but I can be creative when I focus. I put a lot of thought into the monochromatic color scheme of this piece.”
Senior Alyssa Johnson also earned third in digital art with her piece called “Tranquility Texas,” and ninth in photography with her piece called “As Is,” a photograph of a rusty Chevrolet sedan with a forgotten for-sale sign hanging in the window.
“I love taking pictures of old cars because they have already done the work for you by just looking cool,” Johnson said. “We always take a shortcut from Taylor to Thrall and pass this place with a collection of old cars, so I asked the owner if I could take some pictures for the contest. The one that placed was probably the last picture that I took. I can’t describe why, but I feel like the angle, the sign, and droopy tree tells an old, forgotten story.”
Sophomore Ava Finch placed fifth with her photograph called “Jolene’s House.”
“I have been driving by that house my entire life going to my grandparents,” Finch said. “I never really noticed it until the day I took the picture because the sky was so pretty. The land owner’s name is Jolene, so it was the perfect title for the picture.”
Johnson and Finch’s art are for sale at Rodeo Austin’s silent auction open to the public from now until April 5. They are available to view at https://e.givesmart.com/ events/vjv/i/.
In addition, nine students in Christina Strnad’s Graphic Design class participated in a show at the Palmer Events Center Feb. 10.
