Texas State Fair 1st Place Oil/Acrylic/Pastel Portrait Junior

For my final portrait of William, I aspired to illustrate the most frequent word he employs “why” and his zeal that dwells in searching for and catching butterflies in the spring. Wholeheartedly, he strives to decipher and understand the phenomena around him, such as the need for oxygen in our bodies, the ability for his planted sunflower seeds to sprout, or the bewildering departure of an airplane to the clouds. Sighting the telescope I borrowed from the school’s library, William remained adamant that we observe the night sky. His wish was fulfilled. Painting him lost peering into the glass, I pictured his imagination animating an astronaut who gravitates towards a bright star, butterfly net in hand. Through this bittersweet finale of William’s portraits, my family and I can observe how much he has matured and grown with pride.