“Tribal Chief” by Jaime Guadarrama, Dekaney High School senior.

HOUSTON – March 8, 2018 – Jaime Guadarrama, a senior art student at Dekaney High School, recently entered his monochromatic drawing – “Tribal Chief” – in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Student Art Contest, earning him top honors with a Gold Medal in the initial round of judging as well as a spot in the Hayloft Gallery in NRG Stadium.

The art piece, which Guadarrama began drawing in early September with different shades of specialized monochromatic art pencils, was judged among more than 300,000 other student art pieces from over 135 Texas area schools to win him a select spot in the Rodeo auction later this month.

This is not Guadarrama’s first entry in the competition nor his first time at the rodeo.

“I wanted to go all out this year, so I began getting ready to submit an entry since early September,” Guadarrama said. “I have actually entered other drawings since my freshman year and placed, but never at this level, so this year was different. My art teacher, classmates and parents wanted me to get ready to enter. So, I knew I had to go for it one last time as a senior.”

After the initial round of judging, his drawing went through five more rounds of judging, and in the final round was chosen among 72 other pieces, making it eligible for the event’s auction and the opportunity to win a cash prize.

According to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo website, a guaranteed minimum payment is established for each exhibitor who qualifies for a junior auction. The Rodeo also sets a cap amount above the guaranteed minimum for each auction lot. When bidding exceeds the cap amount, the additional funds go into the Rodeo’s Educational Fund to be used for scholarship and grant recipients.

Guadarrama has earned several other recognitions in previous years in the rodeo’s School Art Program contest, including a spot as a finalist during his freshman year, and a first-place Blue Ribbon his junior year.

“I have drawn people, animals and still objects for a while in order to get better, but this year I chose to draw this particular piece because it was recommended by my art teacher and I was really captivated by the image,” said Guadarrama.

He and his family were both surprised and excited to learn of this year’s gold medal achievement. Guadarrama said he has been drawing from a very young age and his family has always been supportive of his artwork.

“He works really hard and we’re so proud of him. Now we are looking forward to his future and want the best for him as he starts his plans to head off to college,” said Juan Guadarrama, Jaime’s father.

To view the full galley of the winning entries, click here: http://www.rodeohouston.com/Educational-Support/School-Art-Program#ArtGallery#