News : Vinton artist Angie Wittmer earns another Second Place at Iowa State Fair

Second place again: Angie Wittmer's State Fair plaster ribbon is runner up again in 2013.

Angie Wittmer's concrete ribbon painting earned 2nd place; it will be on display at State Fair.

Thank a farmer: Angie Wittmer's ribbon includes a poem of tribute.

The front of the ribbon.

Angie's entry with a few others.

Angie Wittmer's concrete ribbon painting earned 2nd place; it will be on display at State Fair.

Last year, Angie Wittmer of rural Vinton earned Second Place with her Iowa State Fair concrete ice cream cone painting.

This year, the artists in the Iowa State Fair Concrete Painting Contest painted ribbons; Angie's ribbon featuring an "American Farmer" theme earned second place.

"When I saw the actual concrete ribbon, I immediately thought of an ear of corn broken in half, which led me to a theme of 'America Needs Farmers,'' said Angie. "I wrote a poem which also appears on the ribbon. I thought a tribute to the American Farmer would be a great theme."

There is a huge amount of detail on this project; Angie said it took her about 40 hours to complete. The corn husks are made out of roof flashing, painted using a tole painting technique & then screwed into the concrete. Angie used jute to mimic corn silks.

"This is my third year of painting concrete," says Angie. "You have to submit a design idea to the State Fair and they choose which ideas they would like to see on the concrete."

Angie and the other winners will be recognized Aug. 18, at the Fair.

Last year, her ice cream cone took second place; it had a theme of tribute to firefighters.