Held three times per academic year, Aggie Ring Day is one of the most important traditions at Texas A&M. Aggie Rings are given to students who have completed 90 hours, 45 of which must be from A&M.
To honor this tradition and commemorate Ring Day’s 25th Anniversary, artist Trey Stephens ‘08 hosted a communal Aggie Ring Painting in which 323 students and their families helped paint a replica of the Aggie Ring.
Before the event, Stephens outlined the shape of the ring using vine charcoal. On the first day of Ring Day, students helped him with the black sections of the ring, and the second day was spent on the gold touches. The final product is a 3-foot-by-4-foot oil painting set to hang in The Association of Former Students building.
When Stephens came up with the idea of a live painting event, he contacted the Association of Former Students. They liked the idea of having an artist painting as entertainment and helped Stephens to plan the logistics.
“I took it a step further and said, ‘What would it look like for me to have an interactive live painting where students that were getting their Aggie Rings could come alongside me and help me paint?’” Stephens said. “They loved it, so I began preparing what that could look like.”
Stephens is a Christian, and his strong faith in God has helped him reach a stable point in his career. After graduating from A&M, Stephens was diagnosed with cancer. His paintings were a good way for him to escape reality for a short while, which is how he began selling his art. Stephens said he painted part-time for 15 years until he realized his talent for painting came directly from God. That realization helped him become a full-time artist, and he has been painting full-time for almost two years.
“I want [people] to feel emotions when they see [my paintings] and know that God is the one who is helping me along the way,” Stephens said.
Coming up with the idea of a large Aggie Ring took lots of preparation; finding a middle ground between a challenging yet feasible product was an important aim for Stephens.
“I came up with a few options and ultimately wanted to make it easy enough for me to guide people through, difficult enough for them to really see the development of the painting and appreciate it, so I came up with an extremely large painting of an Aggie Ring,” Stephens said.
Stephens focuses on painting for commissions and organizations. For commissions, he discusses ideas, timing and pricing with his client.
“A lot of them are giving away to different charities and organizations that are fundraising, whether that be for scholarships or whether it be for just good causes,” Stephens said. “ … I feel like that’s a good use of the gift that God’s given me.”
Stephens promoted this project on his Instagram account, @trey_stephens_art. Everyone who helped Stephens paint received a free 5-inch-by-7-inch print of the painting, while others can order this and his other prints on his website.
“It was truly an amazing experience to have an interactive painting like that where I was able to create an opportunity for students to help me paint a picture, but also be celebrated and inspired,” Stephens said.
