Clarke Art Studio enjoys Texaco success

The 71st Texaco Children’s Art Competition saw 17 Meath students win top prizes. In the 12-13 years age category, Karile Packeviciute, a pupil at Clarke Art Studio, Ratoath, won third prize for her work entitled ‘My Reflection’.

Adjudicator, Irish visual artist, curator and educator, Pauline O'Connell, said: “Karile draws a delicate three-quarter-turn portrait with refined tonal shading, subtle pencil marks, and the symbolic presence of a snake to add narrative.”

In the 9-11 years age category, Julian Zaman, also a pupil at Clarke Art Studio, won second prize for his work entitled ‘The Machine In Me’ – which M. O’Connell said “renders mechanical detail with precision pencil techniques, revealing an imaginative cyborg self-portrait.” A previous winner, Julian won a Special Merit Award last year.

Also in the 9-11 years age category, Charlotte Fitzpatrick, from Clarke Art Studio, won third prize for her work entitled ‘My Shiner’ – described by Ms O’Connell as an artwork which “creates a bold focal point with an electrifying kaleidoscope of colours (painted) around one eye, using expressive brushwork this artwork challenges perception.” Last year, Charlotte won a Special Merit Award.

In addition, 14 Meath winners each won Special Merit Awards for artworks that Ms O’Connell said ‘displayed high levels of skill and creativity.’

They were Lile Grant (15) from Ashbourne Community School; Aisling Carrie (11) from St Patrick's National School, Navan; Evie Plunkett (8) from Kilmainhamwood National School, Kells; Rebecca Conroy (5) from Kilbride National School, Trim; Ciarán Muldoon (15) from Ashbourne Community School; and – all from Clarke Art Studio, Ratoath – Jasmine Kelly (15), Clodagh O'Toole (15), Niah Ramdin (11), Abigail Afoyegbe (10), Renee Bhatnagar (11), Evie Leung (5), Ayda Doherty (15), Abigail Winston (12) and Nicole Doherty (14).

No strangers to the Competition, Nicole won third prize in the 12-13 year age category last year and first prize in the 9-11 year age category in 2022, whilst Ayda and Abigail (Winston) both won Special Merit awards last year.

The Texaco Children’s Art Competition is popularly regarded as the longest-running sponsorship in the history of arts sponsoring in Ireland, with an unbroken history that dates back to the very first Competition held in 1955. This year, as has been the case throughout its life, it has been a platform on which young artists from Meath and counties throughout Ireland have had their talents recognised and their creativity commended.