LEONARD GRAY

DESTREHAN – Six years ago Victor Rodriguez came to St. Rose from Honduras, as a youngster knowing no English. Today, he’s an accomplished, award-winning artist. Victor, 18, is a junior at Destrehan High School and recently won fourth place in the sixth annual Cox Communications Black History Art Contest. “I didn’t think it would be worth $100,” he said. His talented-art teacher, Robert Fisher, said on the other hand, “Victor is very talented and one of the best five students I’ve ever worked with in 25 years of teaching.” The son of Rosa and Leandro Amaya of St. Rose, Victor has had a passion for art from a very early age, when he would sketch out stick figures with his cousin, James Rivera. He arrived in St. Charles Parish at the age of 12. “The teacher saw some of my artwork and got me into the talented-art program,” he said. “I enjoyed it. I loved it.” His prize-winning work, a portrait of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson done in watercolor and pastel, earned him the only award in the River Parishes. Victor place in the special education (grades K-12) category. The portrait is now on display through the month of February at New Orleans Museum of Art in the first-floor lobby, and Victor’s class went to the museum yesterday to view it. His future plans include striving for acceptance into the New Orleans Center for Contemporary Art. “I will do this until the day I die,” Victor pledged. He also loves sculpture, painting and practically every artistic medium. “It’s mostly creativity, imagination and hard work,” Victor admitted. “My parents were really excited.” The annual art contest is supported by NOMA, Cox Cable, BET, HBO, The History Channel and McDonald’s.