The 17-year-old Belfast-based artist Charley Bell, who studies at Methodist College Belfast, was recently announced as the overall winner of this year’s Texaco Children’s Art competition. Her reward for winning the prestigious event is €1,500. Bell’s winning piece is a coloured pencil portrait titled “Anticipation”.
Gary Granville, serving as the chairman of the judges and a professor of education at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), praised Bell by noting that her artwork was an outstandingly executed portrait signifying ‘aged serenity’—a life lived to the fullest with abundant wisdom and experience.
This isn’t the first time Bell has left her mark in the competition. In fact, she was also the winner of the previous edition of the competition and has received Special Merit Awards in 2020 and 2021. When asked about her winning artwork, Bell explained that she found the photograph of an elderly woman extremely compelling, and felt that it would be both challenging and intriguing to bring it to life.
In the allied result announcements, Weronika Jarowinska, a 16-year-old student from Donegal studying at Loreto Secondary School Letterkenny, secured the second place for her piece “Man to Machine”. Meanwhile, the third prize was awarded to Eimear Fitzgerald from Clare, who is a student at Ennis Art School.
Following in the age group of 14-15, the winner was Darragh Granahan from Galway, who created “Unconditional Love”. In the 12-13 age group, the winning artwork, “Inspiration” was created by Charlotte Greham from Mayo. Emily Coffey won the category for the age group 9-11 with her artwork “Gone But Not Forgotten”, while the winner in the youngest category, 7-8, was Clare student Sinéad Azkorbebeitia from Ennis Art School for her self-portrait.
The youngest participants in the contest, 6 years and under, saw a triumph for four-year-old pupil Tadhg Traynor from Rainbow Club, Drogheda, based in Louth. He clinched victory for his creation simply named ‘Dog’ and was awarded €150 as a prize. In an entirely different category, labelled as G, the star was James Moonan from The Arthouse, Drogheda. This 18-year-old prodigy took home the first prize of €1,500 for his masterpiece known as ‘The Wren’s Nest’. The artwork attracted attention, adding to Moonan’s catalogue of numerous past wins. He received first prize in the same category G in the years 2023, 2021, 2020, and a runner-up position in 2018. He also achieved Special Merit Awards in 2022 and 2017.
James Twohig, the director of Ireland operations for Valero Energy (Ireland) – the firm marketing fuel under the name Texaco in Ireland, expressed his gratitude towards the adults who motivate children to discover art as a means to express their unique talents and individuality. He found great satisfaction in witnessing the persistent interest in art amongst the youth, despite the distracting allure of other modern engagements. The entries that won impressed him with the display of their artistic abilities.
Texaco Children’s Art Competition is perceived as a sponsorship that has endured the longest in the sphere of Irish art sponsorships. Its foundations trace back to the inaugural competition, which took place in 1955. This marks its 70th year in succession. Some prominent past victors range from artists such as Robert Ballagh, Bernadette Madden, Dorothy Cross, and the deceased Graham Knuttel, to fashion designer Paul Costelloe and artist cum ex-broadcaster Thelma Mansfield.