An Auburn University graduate recently won first place in the Alabama Wildlife Art Competition. 2nd Annual Wetumpka Wildlife Arts Festival (Wewa).

Jared Knox, winner of the “Best in Show” category, graduated from Auburn University in 2021 with a degree in mechanical engineering and spent most of his time on the Plains pursuing art only as a hobby. was doing.

It wasn't until her final semester of college that Knox was invited to exhibit her work at a gallery outside of Atlanta. He said encouragement from a gallery owner at an event inspired him to make art his full-time career instead of engineering.

The young artist also talked about his award-winning work, “Bobcat and Bobwhite,” which depicts a bobcat and its prey up close. Knox said the idea originally came to him while hunting in North Georgia.

“There was one field with bobcats and I got to see them hunt once or twice,” Knox said. “It was dusk. That image stuck with me. It was a big bobcat. I love that image, and I love the story of all the different animals going out and catching food. .”

“How cool would it be to see a bobcat with a quail?” he added. “Looks like he just got it recently. It's a fresh murder.”

Knox was thrilled to be recognized as one of his artistic heroes.

“It was great to be a part of it because some of the artists I respect the most were there, like Dirk Walker and Sue Key,” he said. “I've always been a fan of theirs. It was really cool to be a part of it and win and talk to them.”

RELATED: Downtown Wetumpka's Company Street is 'Alabama's Cutest Street'

“That was amazing.”

Knox also credits his family's first trip to the Alabama Black Belt in Lowndes County as a teenager with developing his love of hunting and wildlife.

ALBBAA helped promote the 2nd Annual Wetumpka Wildlife Arts Festival, created through a partnership involving the Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Museum, known to locals as “The Kelly,” the City of Wetumpka, and the Smoot Harris Family .

Austin Shipley is a staff writer at Yellowhammer News.