Four Seven Lakes High School students were recognized at the Fort Bend County Fair for their artwork following a rigorous countywide art competition that determined which pieces would advance to the fair’s showcases. Only 17 artists across the county advanced to the School Art Auction held on Sept.27, with an additional seven selected for the Last Draw Art Sale. Senior Saina Poures, who was awarded Chairman’s Choice for her sculpture piece Running Wild, shared her thoughts about winning the accolade.
“[The chairman] came and talked to me about my piece while I was there and said she really liked it and that the difficulty was high,” Poures said. “I’d never had someone come up to me like that and tell me they really liked my piece so I’m happy.”
Other students selected for the Art Auction included senior Annika Gonzalez with her sculpture Aztec Skies and junior Eumin Park with her colored drawing Brave Beginnings. Junior Grace Wang advanced to the Last Draw Art Sale with her colored drawing Reverence. Park described her preparation leading up to the competition and auction.
“I started pretty late, so it was kind of hard to meet the deadline,” Park said. “I had to work on it every day after school and it was a lot of work, but I feel like it was worth it in the end.”
Bidding for each art piece starts at a baseline of $1,000 for the auction and $100 for the Last Draw Art Sale, and buyers can bid in increments of $100. Poure’s sculpture sold for $2,100, Parks’ colored drawing sold for $1,400, Gonzalez’s sculpture sold for $1,100, and Wang’s colored drawing sold for $500.
“I was the last person to go and I didn’t really expect much because the rest of them were selling for like $1,100 to $1,200,” Poures said. “Then, I got up there and then they started [with] a minimum of $1000 and people just kept bidding. I felt like my hard work was worth it.”
During the auction, each artist took the stage as the auctioneer rapidly called out bids. Gonzalez described her mixed emotions prior to the auction.
“At the very beginning, I was so hesitant because I was so scared [to auction] because I hate going up in front of a big group of people, especially when they’re bidding on you,” Gonzalez said. “I’m so happy I went and I would recommend it to anyone that’s willing to do it.”
Art teacher Abby Smith said she was proud to see her students’ talent recognized at the auction.
“I love that Seven Lakes is represented and it shows just how many talented students we have at the school,” Smith said. “[The auction] not only gives them an opportunity for their work to be seen, but they can [also] earn money as well for their hard work.
