Bates County resident Rebekah Knight has a talent that most of us could only wish we had and it has won her national fame not once, but four times
It’s been quite a journey, and in her own words “I have been painting and drawing since I was a toddler. My interest has always been in animals. I started taking my art seriously and competitively at the age of 13, when I won a first place ribbon for my age category in the 2004 Missouri Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest, and again a first place ribbon in 2005. When I was 15, I entered the same contest again for the third time. My entry, titled “Morning Swim,” featuring a single Redhead drake swimming in the morning light, won Best Of Show for the state of Missouri. My entry then went on to compete with the other 49 states, and was finally selected as the first place winner of the national 2006 (Continued next page)
Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest. I entered the following two years and won third place both times. In 2009 after I graduated high school (which, by the way, I was home schooled), I was old enough to enter the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. Since the competition is much higher in quality as well as quantity, my entry (a single wood duck drake) did not get through the first round of judging. The following year was the same with my entry featuring a northern shoveler.
In 2011, my third year entering the FDS contest, my entry - #187, a single Blue-winged Teal drake swimming from right to left with a tan background and a few reeds - passed the first round of judging with three “in” votes out of five possible. In the second round, my entry scored an 18 out of 25 possible putting me in the third and final round, which included the remaining entries with the top five scores. There were seven entries left in the third round. My entry scored a 16, placing it in 6th. The first place entry by Joe Hautman (who has won the contest a total of 4 times) scored a 24. There was a total of 190 entries that year. I traveled out to the contest at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV on Oct. 28-29th of 2011 to watch my entry and some of my friends’ entries be judged. It’s very exciting to see my artwork up on the big screen, being judged by very important authorities in conservation and art as well as competing against big-name artists such as the Hautman brothers, Scot Storm, Adam Grimm, and so many other artists whos prints are hanging on the walls of avid waterfowl hunters’ homes. At that point, I was so happy to have placed 6th in the most prestigious art contest in the country.”
Since then, her passion for the work only gets better with time and it shows as ‘Maritime Colors’ has also achieved national fame.
Rebekah offers some advice for budding artists as she believes such encouragement, like she received, can lead to well deserved success:
1. Enter contests even if the competition is high. Get your name out there.
2. Get to know other artists. Learn from their style, talk to them and develop a relationship.
3. Sell your work. Selling is the best way to spread your name and garner interest in you.
4. For younger artists, enter the Federal Junior Duck Stamp contest. Aside of the ribbons, cash prize and trip to Washington D.C., you can learn a lot about the duck habitat.
5. No matter how talented you are, stay humble. Your talent is a gift to you to give to others.
We are very proud to have a nationally revered artist hailing from Bates County and if you would like to see more of her work go to www.rebekahknight.com or search Rebekah Knight on Facebook.
