Antrim student named overall 2024 Texaco Children’s Art Competition winner

Young Antrim artist, Charley Bell, a 17-year-old student at Methodist College Belfast, has been chosen overall winner of this year’s 70th Texaco Children’s Art Competition, taking first prize in the senior 16-18 years age category.

Her winning work, for which she receives a prize of €1,500, is entitled ‘Anticipation’ and is a painstakingly detailed portrait study in coloured pencils.

In choosing it as the overall prize winner in the competition, Final Adjudicator and Chairman of the judging panel, Gary Granville, Professor Emeritus of Education at the National College of Art and Design, described Charley’s artwork as “an exceptionally well executed portrait, that tells of an ‘aged serenity’, of a full life with a wealth of experience and wisdom”.

“There is a subversive energy, irrepressible optimism and underlying joy in the image that belies the stereotypical portrayal of aging. This wonderful work of art well-deserves the top award in this year’s Texaco Children’s Art Competition,” Professor Granville added.

No stranger to the competition, Charley was also the overall competition winner last year as well as winning Special Merit Awards in both 2020 and 2021.

The middle child of three, Charley first discovered her passion for art at a young age and went on to develop an ability to express herself more through her art works as she progressed through grammar school. From an artistic family, older sister Carrie has won numerous Special Merit Awards in the competition, whilst younger brother Rory has received a Commendation. With one year left to complete in school, Charley believes art will play some role in her future down the line.

The inspiration for her prize-winning portrait came when she discovered a photo of an old woman and felt the emotion in her face would be fascinating to bring to life.

“I like working with portraits and when I saw this photo the detailed expression on the woman’s face jumped out at me immediately. I knew it would be a challenging and interesting artwork to take on,” said Charley.

In winning the prestigious overall prize and first place in the Category A age group, Charley and her fellow winners fought off the challenge from the young artists across Ireland who took part in the competition. Amongst them are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners and the 15 Special Merit awards recipients in each of seven categories for which prizes are presented, including a category reserved for special needs children.

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 have had their talents recognised and a springboard on which many have risen to national prominence.

Aside from giving students the space to give expression to their talent and skill, the competition has focused a spotlight on the quality of art teaching in Irish schools and the importance that the educational establishment attaches to the subject of art education.