Ventura County Fair Poster Winners

Ventura County children in grades 5 through 12 competed in the third Ventura County Fair Poster Contest with entries that illustrated the Fair’s 2013 theme: “Boots, Barns & Banjos.” Of 57 entries, three were chosen by a panel of judges as this year’s winners.

First prize went to Jessica Han, 15, of Thousand Oaks for her illustration of a horse barn at the fair with a Ferris wheel and concession stands in the distance. She included boots and a banjo to complete the Fair’s theme. The work is rendered with amazing detail, colored beautifully in colored pencil.

Jessica currently attends Newbury Park High School, where she is president and founder of the Speech and Debate Team and a member of the golf team. She said this has been an exciting summer for her, as she was one of 500 students chosen out of 1,500 applicants for the California State Summer School for the Arts program held each year at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia. “I will be drawing all day and we will be going places like the Getty Museum to learn about real artists,” she said.

Second place was won by Amanda Vassaur, 18, of Fillmore for her vivid illustration of the fairgrounds in a style that is unique and skillfully colored. Visions of the Fair seem to leap off the page as your eyes are drawn into the people, places and Fair things in this mesmerizing illustration. Her entry featured close-ups of youngsters going to the fair, with one of them wearing boots and playing the banjo as the fair goes on in the background.

Amanda is a recent graduate of Fillmore High School, and is pursuing a career in fashion design. According to James Lockwood, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fair, Amanda was unable to attend Tuesday’s unveiling of the winning posters because she was applying to college where she hopes to study art. She placed third two years ago in the contest, and second last year.

Third place was awarded to Megan Kane, 13, of Ventura for her electrifying depiction of a carnival ride, made of banjos and boots. A bright red barn in the background completes the scene. Megan will be attending Foothill Technology High School in the fall. She enjoys rock climbing and swimming, and wants to be a scientist when she grows up.