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.