Seventeen year old Lucy Deegan from Luggacurran will be representing Ireland when she attends a major exhibition in Tokyo at which her top prize-winning entry from this year’s 63rd Texaco Children’s Art Competition will be displayed.
Travelling at the invitation of Japan’s International Foundation for Arts and Culture, Lucy, accompanied by her Mother Fionnuala, will attend the opening of the exhibition, taking place in August at Japan’s largest art museum – the National Art Center in Tokyo.
The highly prestigious exhibition, now in its 18th year, is described as ‘a showcase for the world’s best young artistic talent’.
It will feature some 400 pieces by students representing nations across the world.
Lucy’s work, ‘Tom – Summer’, is a portrait of her brother which judges described as ‘beautifully composed and exquisitely finished’.
She fought off competition from thousands of young students from across Ireland who took part in the competition.
Lucy studies at Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach in Carlow Town and is a Laois minor footballer.
Others winning works from the Texaco Children’s Art Competition selected for the exhibition are ‘Love Is’ by Nicole Halpin from Malahide Community School; ‘The Face’ by Wiktoria Anna Witkowska from Loreto College, Balbriggan; ‘Hook Lighthouse’ by Tara Watson from St. Joseph of Cluny Secondary School, Killiney and ‘Remembering Eoin McNeill 1916’ by Jack Lynch from St. Patrick’s Classical School, Navan.
Commenting, James Twohig, Director of Ireland Operations for Valero, who market fuel in Ireland under the Texaco brand, said that works selected to represent Ireland “embody content that will attract viewers and promote the cultural and scenic features for which we are renowned globally.”
Other Laois winners in the national art competition were Ciarán Leonard (13), from St. Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise, who won second prize in the 12-13 years age category of the Competition and Asma Zulfiqas (14), from Scoil Chríost Rí, Portlaoise and Abdul Ahad Zulfiqar (6), from Holy Family Junior School, Portlaoise, both of whom received a Special Merit Award.
SEE ALSO – Watch: GAA team comes together to save captain’s turf
