Through Sept. 28, Paul Ray Effinger's Best of Show sculpture "Volnus" will be displayed at the Georgetown Public Library as part of the 2013 Texas Art Hop.

The Leander resident won the top prize out of 200 artists from 47 Texas cities in the sixth statewide art competition conducted by nonprofit Georgetown Art Works. Close to 600 pieces of art were judged and narrowed to 175 entries, which are hosted in galleries and venues in Georgetown's historic district.

Effinger has been sculpting for about 10 years following careers in engineering and 3D video game design. His background as an engineer and artist manifested in media including clay, limestone, marble and bronze, he said.

"It's a difficult process to go from digital to bronze objects. From time you begin a commission to get a physical object, it takes about six months," Effinger said. "It started as a hobby on the side just because it's what I like to do."

Effinger created his award-winning piece and other art at his workshop in Leander. After taking a bronze casting class at Austin Community College, he said he built his own tools and began sculpting.

"I'm working on my fifth bronze sculpture right now have a lot of designs in mind, but they are so expensive to make," he said. "On the last four I made for myself, I've probably spent $20,000 of my own money just making them. So I'm trying to locate buyers."

The Georgetown Public Library is located at 402 W 8th St., Georgetown. There is no cost to view the art pieces.

2013 Texas Art Hop winners include:

Best of Show: Volnus (3D/Bronze) by Paul Effinger

2D:

First: Pecan Tree Portal (Oil) by Valerie Fowler

Second: Singularity (Mixed Media) by Adreon Henry

Third: Vertigo (Encaustic) by William Geisler

Honorable Mention: Cliff with square clouds (Acrylic, pencil on paper, acrylic on wood) by Soa Holman

Honorable Mention: It's Appealing (Oil) by Shirley Gipson

3D:

First: Protection (Wood, Polymer, Clay, Acrylic and Glass Beads) by Nichelle Notabartolo

Second: Backfire (Bronze, Enamel Paint) by Richard Mansfield

Third: Wanna Race? (Lacquered epoxy) by Marla Ripperda

Honorable Mention: Ring Toss (Limestone) by Cat Quintanilla

Honorable Mention: Imagination at Play (Clay) by Kristy Richard

Photography:

First: The Winter by Sara Fields

Second: Clouds in my kitchen by Alyssa Dyer

Third: While walking to my theater seat by Burton Anes

Honorable Mention: Incoming Tide by Roger Lavesque

Honorable Mention: Biker outside Hole in the Wall by David A. Saenz

Printmaking:

First: Lath (Intaglio with Chine Coll) by Elvia Perrin

Second: Aristabulus Bragg (Screen Print) by Brian Johnson

Third: X-Ray (Lithography/Photolith/Serigraphy) by Neal Daugherty

Honorable Mention: When it's cold outside... (Screen Print with hand coloring) by Annalise Gratovich

Honorable Mention: Smile like you mean it (Litograph) by Joshua Orsburn

View the top winners here.