BCCI ART EXHIBITS

2025 WINNERS

Nova

Preschool

It's a Tie!!!

Zoe Scarborough

I love the sun setting and rainbows because I don't really know why, but I love them and I'm painting them. Nova is painting with me, and mom too and I love it, please and thank you.

I love my fox because I love foxes and I love sunsets. Foxes are my favorites and I like to have foxes in the wild. When I grow up I'm going to be a fox carer. I love their baby kits, and if they get lost I will care for them.

Nova Scarborough

Zoe

elementary

Dilyn Weeks

I love the sunset going down and the bluebonnets in the town. Bees are my favorite bug because they are so cute; and they give us honey and help our food grow.

middle school

Nean Wagner

If one is lucky enough to be raised in the Hill Country, the natural beauty instills a place in the heart to carry on the Texas tradition of respecting nature and our neighbors.

Highschool

Zoe (Ace) Dudley

After seeing so much roadkill, especially of porcupines, I wanted to paint a live one to showcase just how beautiful this creature is. Not only are they gorgeous, but they are also vital to the ecosystem. They prune tree limbs and carry nutrients and seeds, bringing life to the forest. I hope to see more of these cute critters, alive, in their natural habitat.

grand prize
winner

Rebecca OShea

Growing up in Blanco County, experiencing the parks, attractions, culture, sunrises, and sunsets has been a blessing. I am thankful to be firmly "rooted" in our beautiful community. I was inspired to use a flow of "roots and shoots" to connect the BCCI preservation initiative and theme with the native waters, land, foliage, and wildlife. My intent is to encourage the viewer to remember and envision his or her own Blanco County experiences. Enjoy!

Best Practices Art Contest Exhibits

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Preschool

Zoe Scarborough

I love the sun setting and rainbows because I don't really know why, but I love them and I'm painting them. Nova is painting with me, and mom too and I love it, please and thank you. - Zoe, age 3.

Elementary School

Bennett Steele

I painted this because I love to ride my brother's 4-wheeler on our family ranch. There are beautiful views and lots of wildlife.

Middle School

Nean Wagner

If one is lucky enough to be raised in the Hill Country, the natural beauty instills a place in the heart to carry on the Texas tradition of respecting nature and our neighbors.

High School

Autumn Seltzer

My artwork was inspired by the peaceful beauty and balance of Blanco County's natural landscapes. I wanted to show how wildlife and nature share the same spaces we enjoy. My artwork is to be a reminder that protecting the places where humans and animals coexist helps to preserve these simple moments of harmony.

Katie Shannan

What inspired my piece was a cardinal who repeatedly visited my bathroom window. Around the time he showed up for the first time, one of my favorite artists, Kacey Musgraves, released an album titled Deep Well with a track called “Cardinal,” featuring the lyrics, “Cardinal, are you bringing me a message from the other side?” These lyrics inspired the title. This little bird made me want to learn more about it, and I discovered that cardinals face deforestation. I hope to bring awareness to that issue with this piece!

Adult

Casey Scarborough

Unfairly vilified, rattlesnakes are gentle creatures who want nothing to do with people. They do us a great service by controlling rodent populations that eat our crops and spread disease. "Rattlesnakes can live for decades, have complex social lives complete with friends and family members, and give birth to live pups." - Dr. Emily Taylor. Mothers follow and protect babies for weeks after birth. Fathers and Aunts help babysit and they all have a secret language they use to communicate. Decapitation is very inhumane because the snake's brain lives for hours afterwards feeling excruciating pain. Contact freesnakerelocation.com for help moving rattlesnakes to safety.

Rebecca OShea

Growing up in Blanco County, experiencing the parks, attractions, culture, sunrises, and sunsets has been a blessing. I am thankful to be firmly "rooted" in our beautiful community. I was inspired to use a flow of "roots and shoots" to connect the BCCI preservation initiative and theme with the native waters, land, foliage, and wildlife. My intent is to encourage the viewer to remember and envision his or her own Blanco County experiences. Enjoy!

Erica Smith

Inspired by the quiet harmony of Blanco County’s wild places, this piece features several native species, each playing a role in living together on the land. The almost hidden creatures coexist within the same landscape: each vital, each belonging. In the same way, our collective vision for Blanco County depends on inclusion, respect, and collaboration, so that all who call this place home can thrive together and help preserve the beauty that unites us.

Lyrae Perry

My very first experience tubing was positively magical and is the inspiration for my entry! I got in the water with a bunch of families that turned out to be a much larger crowd than I expected that day. Families with kids were tubing/swimming, laughing and splashing all over. I could barely hear the softer sound of water flowing over the low dam. Looking for a little less noise and activity, I maneuvered my giant yellow tube away from the joyful chaos toward the shoreline. There, in spite of all the loud human activities, I drifted near the shoreline, several young herons were practicing stillness, and then striking through the surface of the water to catch little fish. Baby wild bunnies hopped silently from bush to bush on the shore, munching small plants. Just below the water surface in the shadow of my tube, I could see hundreds of tiny fish. Adults and many babies were darting to catch and eat tiny bits floating in the water. Later that afternoon, what I originally thought was a bird, flew out of an oak tree toward me and stopped to hover over my head. When I looked up, I was blown away to see a Mexican free-tailed bat for the first time! It was broad daylight and this adorable little bat was "chittering" at me and stayed overhead (about five feet up), for at least 3 minutes! That was magical! That day, the whole river and shoreline was alive and put on a show I will never forget. I could not help but notice that every family, human and animal, was sharing a valuable resource, learning and navigating the water and life together. Our waterways are such a vital part of life in Blanco County and we have a duty to cherish and protect the water, land, trees and air... keeping it safe for all to use and enjoy.

Tammy Corbette

My piece, "Peeping Through the Prairie," is a visual meditation on the often-overlooked beauty and vulnerability of Texas's native wildlife. I intentionally positioned small animals like a rabbit, armadillo, or Fox barely peeping through the top of native Texas wild plants and flowers. This juxtaposition creates depth and serves as a powerful metaphor: so often, the small, crucial things in our environment go unnoticed as we rush through our lives.
By bringing these animals to the forefront of the composition, I compel the viewer to truly see them. This isn't just a painting; it's a call to action. We, as humans, are the Voice for the Texas animals and wildlife. The artwork reflects the belief that by slowing down to enjoy and truly observe the world around us, we can recognize our shared responsibility. We have the power to be a voice not just for ourselves, but for every living creature that shares this land. It is a heartfelt reminder that conservation begins with noticing all of life.

Heather Steele

On a blustery day last fall, my husband & I, along with our 2 young sons, went to my grandparents’ land in western Blanco County. The recent droughts had killed a few of their oak trees & we were there chopping them up for firewood. Duke, our Catahoula/Border Collie mix, gazed into the distance. I was awestruck by the beauty of the hazy landscape & snapped a photo. I used this photo as a reference for my painting. I added the white-tailed deer to the scene along with the bright ray of light to represent the importance of preserving our beautiful land and our precious wildlife.

Nova

Preschool

Zoe

elementary

middle school

Highschool

grand prize winner

Best Practices Art Contest Exhibits

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Preschool

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Adult

grand prize
winner