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12 artists compete for championship at 2025 Art Battle

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL)— A painter from the Wichita Falls art battle is now standing tall as champion. For the first time in its history in Wichita Falls, the Art Battle took place in The Lab, at the heart of downtown Wichita Falls. The 12-painter tournament and the in-the-moment style painting is what Lab co-owner Rob Comello said makes the competition so fun to watch. 'It's a very vulnerable moment as a creative to put yourself out there, and to have so many people come down from the community to get excited and encourage that, that's what makes it so raw,' Comello said. In each of the three rounds, the painters are given 20 minutes to complete their masterpieces. Participating in her third art battle, Natalia Hernandez-Pagan doesn't worry at all about the time limit. 'So really I'm just in my element and I feel like it's like neutral with all the other artists as well,' Hernandez-Pagan said. 'They're just comfortable doing what they love to do. You know?' Art Battle isn't just a local attraction. It's an interconnected competition holding tournaments all around the world. In its time as a competition in Wichita Falls the Art Battle has attracted more than just locals. Amber McPherson and her husband came from Lawton, OK just to watch the artists compete. 'This is still our favorite place, but we've gone and seen it in other places so there's a lot,' McPherson said. 'And then my friends find it when I post about it on Facebook and they're jealous that their cities and states don't offer it.' After its first year at The Lab, Comello hopes events like Art Battle can continue growing the art scene in Wichita Falls. 'Being downtown is incredibly important because it's very centralized, right,' Comello said. 'There's not a lot of opportunity on the South side, East side, or North side of town, but we connect to all of those very closely, which I think is a huge opportunity for us to gather as an entire community in one space.' The winner of this Art Battle will go on to paint against artists from around the country and the world. 2025's winner is Natalia Hernandez-Pagan Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.