CEDAR CREEK, TX — Lorelei Smith, sophomore at Cedar Creek High School in Bastrop ISD, won 1st place in the high school 2-D division of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (FWSSR) Art Contest on Saturday, Oct. 26th. Her piece, “Majesty in the Meadow,” earned her a belt buckle and a $6,000 scholarship. This was her first time to compete in the contest.
Lorelei’s drawing earned her another $2,000 when it was sold at auction on Saturday, Nov 2nd, at the Cowboy Artists of America 58th Annual Exhibition & Sale. The proceeds from the sale will be awarded in the form of an additional scholarship. Because Lorelei is only in 10th grade, she doesn’t yet have any concrete plans for her future after high school, although she said she would like to attend either college or art school and double major in art and business.
Lorelei’s mom, Joleen, inspired the piece. Joleen is an alumni of the University of Texas at Austin, whose mascot is famously a longhorn. Lorelei wanted to create a piece that depicted a longhorn in a beautiful and colorful way. She used colored pencils to bring her 18x18” piece to life.
“My mom had been wanting me to draw a longhorn for her, so I created a big, beautiful piece to reflect the beauty I see in her every day. I originally made it for her birthday, but she convinced me to enter it into the contest. I was so surprised when it won 1st place!” Lorelei said when asked about her drawing.
The FWSSR Art Contest was open to Texas students enrolled in a Texas public, private, charter, or home school in grades kindergarten through 12th. This year, there were over 2,000 entries from across the state. The theme/subject of the entries had to depict or express the culture of Texas and western environments, both contemporary and historical. There were six age range categories, as well as a classroom division.
To see Lorelei’s award-winning painting, visit the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame throughout the 2025 FWSSR, Jan 17th through Feb. 8th. The museum is located at 1720 Gendy Street in the Cultural District of Fort Worth.
contributed by Joleen Smith
