"6 AM" by Belle Amelie Artistry of Decatur was among entries that earned recognition out of the hundreds submitted for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' cicada art contest. DECATUR — A Central Illinois photographer's work emerged from a field of hundreds to earn special recognition in a statewide cicada-themed art show. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources issued a call for entries in May, receiving over 350 pieces of art with prizes for various age groups and categories.
Submissions depicted the winged insects in photos, paintings, sculptures, drawings and mixed media category. Results were announced Tuesday for adults in each category of artwork, youth in several age divisions, winners of special awards from First Lady MK Pritzker and IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie, and overall best of show. Decatur photographer Isabella Magon, who entered the contest under the commercial name Belle Amelie Artistry, was one of three artists recognized with an honorable mention in the best of show category.
The subject of her work, titled "6 AM," is a cicada's wing covered in dew drops in the early morning. "The photo that I took was a complete accident, really," Magon said. She had heard about the contest and thought about submitting a painting, but landed on this photograph instead, she said.
"I was walking down the steps (outside), and I see this little, tiny wing," Magon said. "And I was like, 'Oh my god.' So I looked a little closer, and it had all these dew d.