Rising Eyes of Texas

In front of the Rising Eyes of Texas sign

This post is only a month late but I had to write about the excitement about getting into Rising Eyes of Texas at the Rockport Center for the Arts in Rockport Texas. I almost didn't submit my work for the exhibit. I assumed I should not be trying to compete with graduate students who have been creating art for a lot longer than I have. Our dear Michael Collins is head of the Masters program here in my school, Houston Baptist University to be exact. He asked that the undergraduate students submit their work to Rising Eyes that there was nothing to loose. I say to myself, Michael is a very wise man, let me do what he tells me and I made it in the show!

RISING EYES OF TEXAS 2014
At Rockport Center for the Arts in Rockport, Texas
Juror Chris Davila

Rising Eyes of Texas is a pretty big deal. It is graduates and undergraduates from colleges from different parts of Texas competing to be a part of this exhibit. This year there were 34 artists selected, from different schools. Six artists alone were from HBU. Four were graduates and two (myself included) were undergraduates. This did wonders for my confidence as an artist. When I made the drive to Rockport and looked at all the selected pieces I felt honored to be next to some really amazing art.

I submitted my work, but I wont lie, I had no faith that my work would make it in. I looked at the past years entries and I felt very amateur. Then of course with the graduates around me sending huge pieces and sculptures I felt had no chance. I think I have said it in other posts that my husband is my biggest fan. He told me that I was going to get in, maybe his faith in me is bigger than my own, actually I know it is. 

My print that was inspired
in my Guatemala.

We were told that we would know the results in early February so I was not expecting a negative or positive until then February. Mid January I'm sitting at home working on other homework, and classmates start texting me they received their notifications via email. I checked all my emails and nothing. I was doubting what I email I put down. I even started panicking that maybe I did not attach my images to the email correctly. My husband turns around and tells me laughing, "you haven't received anything because you are in the show". The next day, while in school typing up something, I receive an email alert, and it was the nice people of Rising Eyes giving me a great big congratulations. 



I'm very proud of the piece I submitted. I produced it while I was still very new to art, new to printmaking and when I had no idea I was actually going through with my Bachelors of Fine Arts degree. This piece has been in The Art Alliance Center at Clear Lake art exhibit and it won 2nd place in the juried student show here in HBU in spring 2013.


I plan on entering Rising Eyes of Texas for the last time at the end of this year. Since I graduate in December I will not be able to participate again until I become a graduate student.