Jessica Bonilla of Irving has been to the State Fair of Texas countless times and always admired Big Tex’s size-96 boots — especially the artwork on them.
Bonilla, a 23-year-old artist who displays her work at pop-up markets throughout North Texas, didn’t know who designed the boots, and thought maybe “a professional kind of person did it.”
She learned the State Fair was accepting design entries from the public and she took the challenge.
“I was like, you know, I could try that,” she said. “I have some ideas that would be cool for that.”
It paid off when Bonilla won the State Fair of Texas 2023 Big Tex Boot Design Contest. Her design can be seen on the fair’s website.
Bonilla was among a field of more than 300 entrants ranging in age from 10 to 79. A panel of judges narrowed the pool to five finalists, whose designs were judged on creativity, representation of Texas pride and how well they fit Big Tex.
Read the full story at Dallas Morning News.
