RUSSELLVILLE, Mo. - Latex house paint, a pane of clear acrylic and an artistic eye created a noble eagle.
The small but dramatic portrait by Cole County R-1 middle schooler Joseph Pletz hangs in the third floor Capitol Rotunda with hundreds of other sculptures and paintings by Missouri students.
Pletz was surprised to learn his was selected for the Governor's Choice Award.
After the Missouri Art Educators Association show closes March 15, Pletz's eagle will continue to hang in the Capitol for the next year.
Pletz and three other Russellville students - Cameron Grayson, Sydney Robertson and Elizabeth Mehmert - will attend a special ceremony and visit the show March 13.
The artwork by these four students was selected from the spring 2013 school art show, said art teacher Amy Potts.
The honor has inspired Pletz to do more with his art, he said.
"If I won the first time I tried, I might do others and do better," Pletz said.
The acrylic project is one many students have success with, Potts said. The lesson emphasizes mixing colors more than drawing technique, she said.
Pletz said the assignment was difficult at first but it became easier as he worked on it.
"I hope I will get it back," he said. "I'd like to hang it in my room."