Last summer, stepping into the San Antonio rodeo arena as nightfall descended was a life-changing experience for student artist Joy Park. Together with her father, she ventured to capture real-life cowboy scenes on horseback, gathering inspiration. Her oil painting recently earned the Reserve Grand Champion award at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s school art program.
Park’s painting “Night at the Arena” tells the story of that summer at the San Antonio rodeo.
At 18, Park is a senior at Elgin High School in Houston, set to graduate this year. Previously, she had created several Western-themed pieces for the Houston rodeo, with some being honored in prestigious auctions in recent years.
In her junior year, one of Park’s paintings didn’t make it to the auction the previous year. Determined, she worked doubly hard during the summer to find the perfect subject for her artwork. She knew her senior year submission would be her last opportunity.
Armed with a camera, she and her father embarked on a journey to find lasso-wielding cowboys.
“We found the rodeo, took hundreds of photos, and then went through them one by one,” Park told The Epoch Times. One photo immediately sparked her inspiration, “It already looked like a painting,” she said of a picture showing a cowboy swinging a lasso on horseback.
“I am quite confident in my abilities now, and I am sure this piece will do well, and I believe it will make it to the auction,” she said.
“It’s actually a nocturnal scene, which sets it apart from the others,” she said. “The light source is different.”
The nighttime rodeo added a unique charm and atmosphere to the scene, with the glow of electric lights enhancing the modern cowboy culture. The painting seemingly evokes the echoing voice of a commentator from the broadcast and the scent of barbecue from the concession stands.
Back in Houston, Park adjusted the photos through cropping and saturation enhancement to give them a “modern” feel before embarking on months of painting.
She is self-taught, having mastered different techniques over the years and blending them into her style. She starts by applying a thin base color with water-soluble sepia oil paint on a blank canvas, then outlines basic lines with a pencil, focusing on one area at a time before expanding outwards to cover the entire canvas.
“I start where I feel like starting,” she said. “I started with the horse’s face.” But the action of the lasso-wielding cowboy is equally striking; meanwhile, she found many people enjoyed the blurry background she painted, creating a sense of atmospheric perspective.
The audience appears to be cheering from a distance. The rust stains on the metal support poles of the arena add texture.
Over the past decade, cowboy culture has left a profound impression on Park, originally from Seoul, Korea, who moved to Texas in 2012. While her family is “very Koreanized,” she said, participating in student art competitions over the years has made the rodeo a tradition in her household.
“We have a lot of boots at home, and I have clothes for the rodeo,” she said, noting these items are mainly for visiting the arena.
This year, Park competed alongside 200,000 other students, successfully making it to the auction and being recognized in March with 90 other student artists. Her piece received the Reserve Grand Champion award, fetching $200,000 at auction, of which she will receive $19,000.
How will Park use this money?
“Perhaps for my college tuition,” she said, adding she hopes to attend Rice University next fall, majoring in biology, with aspirations to become a pediatric dentist in the future. However, she plans to continue painting and hopes to become a gallery owner, showcasing her own artwork.
“Painting will be my side job,” she said.