“Best in Show” is the annual art show to benefit the Roanoke Valley SPCA. Artists and pet
lovers of all ages and abilities are invited to create artwork in any medium for the competition.
The images are all to depict animals.
“Because artists have always been at the forefront of our culture in expressing society’s concerns
and giving a voice to the most helpless among us, we can think of no better partners in our
community to help raise funds for the needy pets in our community,” was the message from the
SPCA.
In 2025, the original artwork of over 200 local artists was featured – paintings, sculptures,
pastels, and photography. The artwork was on exhibit in the Roanoke City Market Building’s
Charter Hall on the evening of March 13. Best in Show winners were chosen by guest judges and
event sponsors.
All the artwork was for sale after the show, with at least 50% of the purchase price donated to the
Roanoke Valley SPCA by the artists.
Many students and art teachers, as well as other local artists, contributed their work, among them
several from Vinton and Vinton-area schools. They also explained their inspiration.
William Byrd Middle School sixth grader Jayda Baldwin won the “Best Middle School Entry
Award” for “Biscuits New Boots.” “I love being creative and drawing animals. This portrait was
inspired by a duckling I helped raise. Biscuit loved to run, and I can only imagine what she
would sound like running around in green rubber boots.”
WBHS student Meisha Robinson won the Aquatic Award (for the best artwork featuring aquatic
animals) for her “Swimming Seal.” “This is my third acrylic painting for the SPCA. I aimed to
make a bright, wholesome painting of a seal swimming in the ocean.”
Honorable mentions (“A Round of a Paws”) went to:
- Art teacher Denise Sartell for “Meowdy Pawdner.” “My cat Franky was the inspiration
for this piece. Finding the proper mix of colors for the painting was the biggest challenge.
Please enjoy the new Marshall in town.” She also entered another painting of a chipmunk
family, entitled “Gathering.” “The sleeping baby chipmunk was my inspiration for this
piece. Mixing all the greens and painting the fur texture were two major challenges.
- Student Lucy Whitenack for “Party Animal.” “I chose to paint a picture of my dog on his
birthday, celebrating and being a party animal.”
- WBHS art teacher Allyson Goin for “Whiskers in Bloom.” She also entered “Spring Has
Sprung.”
- Student Isabel Reyes for “Untitled,” depicting a favorite cat. “I want anyone who sees it
to know how many precious memories this cat gave us.”
- Student Kendall Lecas for “Stinky Bella.” “This is a painting of my Boston terrier, Bella.
She is very old and stinky. Although she is old, she is the life of the party.”
Other WBHS students entering Best in Show (and what inspired them) included:
Chris Alatorre with “Cat.” “I like cats.”
Natalie Altice “Furry Dreams.” “Based on my recently deceased dog Monster. A
memorial to the almost 11 years of love he brought to my life.”
Nate Buck “3AM.” “This painting of Wrigley, one of my five pets, conveys his sweet,
goofy, and a little dumb self. The light reflecting on his white fur makes him almost glow
and makes his mustache pop a bit because of the contrasts. The picture this was based on
was taken a few years ago at a sleepover around 3 a.m. when someone took a picture of
him with the flash on.”
Miranda Chittum “Fin.” “I was inspired to paint a Betta fish because I recently got my
own pet Betta fish and I wanted to paint something fun. I also wanted to challenge myself
to paint instead of draw.”
Nevaeh Davila “Baby Pibbles.” “This is a painting of my fat, morbidly obese baby son,
and even though he’s older now, he still eats my furniture and clothes for fun. I love him
and feed him normal food.”
Nate Edwards “Swimming Stripes.” “This is my first full acrylic painting. I was
fascinated and enamored by the beautiful patterns of the nautilus, inspiring my painting.
Skylar Edwards “Blunt-Headed Bug Eyes.” “Blunt-headed Tree Snakes may just have the
biggest eyes of all snakes and I wanted to capture their silly proportions in this fun
painting of such a clueless little creature.”
McKinley FiGart “Twin Conures.” “When deciding what to paint I knew I wanted to
make something vibrant and beautiful. When I saw these Sunset Conures I knew those
were what I wanted to paint. With a red background to help them further stand out.”
Abbie Haroulakis “Boop the Nose.” “I don’t paint often, but my cats are a really big part
of my life. I wanted a challenge and wanted a piece dedicated to something that’s saved
my life.”
Michaya Henderson “Killer Queen.” “I painted a secretary bird because I love their
colors and beauty and wanted to recreate it in my painting.”
Allie Jamison “Arctic Friendship.” “I love the ocean and I hope that this portrays that.”
Zoey Mann “Maw.” “I choose to paint an owl because my grandmother (Maw) liked
them. This piece means a lot to me as it is my senior year, and she cannot be here. I love
how all the details turned out and I’m glad this could be my last painting in high school.”
Morgan Odum “Serenity Lake.” “I was inspired by drawing swans because I was
listening to the album called ‘Among My Swan’ by Mazzy Star.”
Logan Patsel “Maxwell.” “I chose to paint this piece because for one, I love drawing cats,
for two, I love complementary colors. Maxwell is not my cat, but a good cat.”
Anna Perkoski “D1Bigback.” “Based off my cat Curtis. He loves ice water and treats.”
Savannah Powell “B.F.B.” “For this painting I wanted to represent the goofiness of the
Blue Footed Booby.”
Ellie Reid “Daisy.” “Daisy actually came from the SPCA years ago. She has been the
best dog ever and I’m so glad we got her.”
Abby Tyler “Sally.” “This is a painting of a deer that sits in my yard. Sally is very
friendly with humans. Sally loves grapes and apples.”
Dixie Venable “Paddy.” “He’s just a silly guy, Grandma’s doggie.”
Emma Whitcomb “Cheese Please.” “This painting was inspired by my tabby cat who
comes and begs for cheese whenever I open my fridge!”
Nathanial Whitney “Cola.” “This is a painting of a black cat named Cola. It was fun to
paint a cat without knowing anything about cat anatomy.”
Ambrielle Woods “Oliver.” “This is a painting of my bird, Oliver. Oliver is very loud. I
love Oliver.”
Vinton artist Mary Beth Layman also entered Best in Show with her painting of “Mane Attraction.” “I
was captivated by the beauty of this pony.”
To see all entries, visit https://one.bidpal.net/bestinshow2025/browse/all. Some may still be for
sale, benefitting the Roanoke Valley SPCA.
