THE OVERALL winner of the Texaco art contest, Shane Finegan, said because of his win he will now follow his dream of becoming a fashion designer, following in the footsteps of designer Paul Costelloe, a previous Texaco winner.
A pencil watercolour of mackerel by the 16-year-old Co Down teenager received the main prize in the 56th Tesco Children’s Art Competition. The 21 top prize winners were announced yesterday.
“Winning this competition made him feel that he has a worth and maybe he can follow his dream,” his mother Daire sad.
His first-ever entry to an art contest was inspired by fishing trips with his father and he aimed to capture “the way mackerel shimmers when it comes out of water”.
Sketches, paintings and collages of nature and animals made up many of the winning entries that were on display in Dublin yesterday.
Among those was a “proud peacock” collage by 7-year-old Co Down twin Maria McStay.
Maria grinned as she agreed that she ate the sweets that were inside the shiny chocolate wrappers she used for her collage.
Teabags, cloth, paper and glass were among the many materials used by Aoife Hamilton (11) to create her colourful painting of daisies.
The native Irish speaker from the Ring Gaeltacht in Co Waterford explained how she plucked the images from her head based on flowers in her garden. Art is in the family of the fifth-class pupil as her mother is an artist and her aunt is a glass designer.
First-prize winner in the same age category was Julie Twomey (11). “My dog Lucy was out looking in the glass window scratching to get in. She had been looking for a bone and had mud on her mouth,” said Julie of what inspired her acrylic painting.
Grandmother Marie Twomey was “extremely proud” of the granddaughter she has been tutoring. “She picks it up very quickly,” she said.
Shania McDonagh (12) created a black-and-white sketch that was based on an old photograph of her deceased grandfather Gabriel, whom she had never met. Shania stumbled across the picture as she looked for something to draw.
Another striking sketch on display was an image of a girl by Aleksandra Fudali (16). “I only ever draw in pencil,” the Cork-based artist who moved to Ireland from Poland four years ago said confidently.
Asked where she learned to draw so well, she said, “It was in me already.”
A glimpse of the art of the future was on view yesterday with 16-year-old Cork student Enda O’Riordan’s computer-edited photograph, entitled Disconnect.
Featuring wires and iPods, the idea behind it was throwing away all of the technology a teenager depends on.
Enda cheerfully noted the irony of this, considering it is a piece of digital art.
Texaco Children’s Art Competition Winners
Category A (16 - 18 years)
1st: Shane Finegan (17), Abbey Grammar CBS Newry, Co Down. Prize:€2,000
2nd: Aleksandra Fudali (16), St Brogan’s College Bandon Co Cork. €1,000
3rd: Enda O’Riordan (16) Christian Brothers College , Sidney Hill, Cork. €750
Category B (14 - 15 years)
1st: Lara Darby (15), Bangor Academy, Bangor, Co Down.€450
2nd: Jingze Du (14), Coláiste Éinde, Salthill , Co Galway. €350
3rd: Liam Keighley (14), Gorey Community School, Gorey, Co Wexford. €250
Category C (12 - 13 years)
1st: Shania McDonagh (12), Gaelscoil Uileog de Burca, Claremorris, Co Mayo. €350
2nd: Sinéad Timlin (13) Jesus Mary Secondary School, Gortnor Abbey, Crossmolina, Co Mayo. €250
3rd: Celine Earle (13), Gorey Community School, Gorey, Co Wexford. €200
Category D (9 - 11 years)
1st: Julie Twomey (11), Cloghroe NS, Cloghroe, Co Cork.€250
2nd: Shane McCann, (10), Tullyallen NS, Tullyallen, Co Louth. €200
3rd: Aoife Hamilton (11), Nóiníní Móra Scoil Náisiúnta, Baile Mhic Airt, Dúngarbhán, Co Portláirge. €150.
Category E (7 and 8 years)
1st: Finn O’Reilly (8), Glasnevin Educate Together, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. €200
2nd: Maria McStay (7), St Joseph’s Primary School, Downpatrick, Co Down.€150.
3rd: BorúPowell (7), Rossan NS, Carrigallen, Co Leitrim. €125
Category F (6 years and under)
1st: Emma McInerney (6), Dunboyne JPS, Dunboyne, Co Meath. €150
2nd: Daniel Henry (5), St Josephs Primary School, Athlone, Co Roscommon. €125
3rd: Joshua Mac Aodh Bhui (6), Gaelscoil Eoghain Ui Thuairisc, Carlow. €100
Category G (Special Needs - Young Adults Children)
1st: Deirdre Manny (14), St Joseph’s Secondary School, Rochfortbridge, Co Westmeath. €450
2nd: Cheryl Mulholland (14), Longstone School, Dundonald, Co Down. €300
3rd: Aaron Salinger (11), St Michael’s School, Chapelizod Dublin 20. €200