The paintings lay in a line in no particular order, sculpture filled tables, contestants lined the Frenship High School halls waiting to be interviewed by judges. It was a scene senior Sterling Larson knew well from last year when he and six other SHS artists qualified for state.

“I decided to compete last year,” Larson said. “I was in art because I needed the credit. The competition came around, and I tried it. I ended up making state, and I’ve been really excited to go back ever since.”

That competition is the Texas Art Education Association’s  Visual Arts Scholastic Event which will once again be held at Frenship High School  on Feb. 17.

Senior Nicole Rodriguez is also no stranger to the competition, having qualified two pieces to state as a freshman and one as a junior.

“I’m a part of VASE because I enjoy seeing people’s reactions to my art and how it impacts them,” Rodriguez said. “I want to have a piece where people can look at it and relate to it. I want it to have impact.”

Artists can enter paintings, sculptures, drawings, animations and photographs.

“My piece is an animation about life,” junior Tristin Williams said. “It’s about certain things holding you back that you have to break free from–the things you have to deal with.”

The meanings behind the pieces are as diverse as their creators.

“Mine is an oil painting about society and breaking it down,” junior Kayleigh Maxie said. “That’s why there’s a hole in the fence. There are neutral greys on the society side of the fence and bright colors on the free side.”

In the same way, the student motivations are also diverse.

“I might get a scholarship,” Williams said. “At the least, I could be noticed by someone in the animation industry.”

Participants can have multiple pieces in competition.

“I’m doing two this year,” Rodriguez said. “My sculpture is this person fighting a monster. The monster is his shadow; you are your own worst enemy. My photograph is this person leaving the other person. It’s titled Don’t Leave Me. Throughout my life, multiple people have left me, so I wanted to express me through that.”

Larson’s entry is both general and personal.

“My drawing is for my great uncle,” Larson said. “He passed away earlier this year. He had dementia and schizophrenia, and he would see dead relatives. It’s also about how quickly the mind deteriorates and how my great uncle left us.”

Students who earn a state berth will learn the results at the state even in San Marcos on April 27-28.