By Collegian Staff
At 7 p.m. on Aug. 20, a new season of Art Battle kicked off inside of the iconic Big Blue building in downtown Wichita Falls, Texas. Art Battle is a live painting competition hosted by the Wichita Falls Art Association in which 12 artists duel against one another in three rounds, and one overall winner is declared.
Winners of Regional Finals from across the country compete for a cash prize, a large trophy and year-long status as the Best Live Painter in America with a spot in the Art Battle World Championship.
Event coordinator Bob Barrow talked about his expectations for the Wichita Falls event.
“We are holding some rounds here hoping we can get one of our people to advance far enough to go to the Regional Finals in Daytona Beach,” said Barrow.
Cameron University student Tiffany Estes (artist name Tiffany Nicole) was among the competitors at this live paining event. She made it to the final round with three other artists, one of which traveled all the way from Chicago just to participate.
“I competed in the inaugural Art Battle back in 2019 and did not make it to the final round,” Estes said. “I am very excited to have another opportunity to perform at Art Battle. There is a lot of amazing talent and I feel honored to be among them.”
Art Battle is live competitive painting. Each artist is allowed 20 minutes to paint their best work in front of an audience. The audience circles the painters as they watch the artists create a masterpiece. Each winner is determined by audience votes.
The event ends with a silent auction of the paintings created that evening. A portion of the proceeds go back to the artists.
Art Battle hosts monthly events in fifty cities worldwide. If you or someone you know would like to apply, please visit artbattle.com/apply.
