"Nurture" was inspired by a photo Sophie Zhou's father took, capturing a cow and her baby calf with light shining down. Photo: Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
This skillful painting by Sophie Zhou, a junior at The Kincaid School, was sold for a record $276,000 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's school art competition auction.
The intrigue: This is the first year a private school student was named grand champion.
The winning bid for her painting "Nurture" beat last year's record-setting bid by $1,000.
What they're saying: "When I first saw the photo my dad took, I was really inspired by the lighting," Zhou said in a statement.
"I absolutely loved how this nurturing relationship between the mother and her calf ... it was really beautiful, and I wanted to display that in my artwork."
