WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — We are less than two weeks away from the Art Battle National Championship taking place in Daytona Florida, where one artist will be crowned as the winner. A local Wichita Falls artist, Jesse Baggett, will be representing the State of Texas while competing for the top spot.

“Right now, I’m putting on a light background because when I only have 20 minutes to paint, the paint doesn’t dry. I guess I like all the things you can paint. There’s landscapes or there’s people, but animals are, everyone like animals,” Baggett said.

And as you can tell, Baggett knows a thing or two about painting animals.

“My mom’s an artist, and so I’ve been around it my whole life, but I didn’t really get into it until I was 19,” Baggett said.

Baggett has perfected her craft over the years, which has ultimately led her to represent the entire State of Texas in this season’s upcoming national Art Battle championship. Something she’s no stranger to after making it to the second round in last year’s national championship.

“Last year, I was really pleased. Like, I was proud of what I painted, and I had a really good time with all the other artists, so this year I want the same thing. I want to know that I did my best, and I want to enjoy everybody and enjoy the experience, and it wouldn’t be bad if I won,” Baggett said.

Baggett will only have 20 minutes to paint a masterpiece that will then be voted on and auctioned off to the audience, something she says has allowed her to learn new techniques.

“Whenever I started practicing for art battle, I had a whole new genre of paintings, like a whole new style. That’s what Art Battle did for me,” Baggett said.

She said it was the support and guidance she’s had over the years that she attributes to her astonishing artistic ability and said if there are any reluctant artists out there, take the leap and dive into it.

“It’s not as hard as it seems. It’s really just simple colors and tones, and then all of a sudden, magic happens, so don’t be afraid of it,” Baggett said.

And maybe one day you could be in Baggett’s shoes, competing with the best of the best, in hopes of being crowned the best in the entire nation.

The Art Battle National Championship is happening on April 1st in Daytona Florida. There is a way you can watch, vote, and even bid during the event live. For all of that information, click here.