Mondis Doyle, senior, poses alongside Marnie Claunch, art teacher, as he shows off his first place. “I did not think I was going to win,” Doyle said. “I had no idea how to react; I was happy.”

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Zooey Wheeler, freshman, uses chalk pastels and watercolor pencils to create her art piece, "Someone brought my drawing for $200, which was exciting," Wheeler said.

The Plein Air Art Fair is an annual festival that showcases creative artwork outdoors. The Plein Air Art Fair is a great opportunity for art enthusiasts to see the creative process of the artist and an interesting way to connect with the artist and their paintings. Six U. City students participated along with Marnie Claunch, art teacher: Khyrie Burdette, sophomore; Mondis Doyle, senior; Jiimon Hanley-Pickett, junior; Josué Tejada, junior; Zooey Wheeler, freshman; ??

The event was held Sunday, Oct. 1 and was U. City’s seventh year hosting the event. Artists have all of September to create their art or can draw it the day of the event. A reception is held at 5:00pm at the Centennial Commons. A garden tour also takes place from 1:00-5:00pm and highlights seven designated gardens in the Musick and Meridian neighborhoods.

 “The experience was great,” Claunch said. “Five of my students drew and painted the garden outside of UCHS Balson doors. As a teacher, it was great seeing them creating art on their own time and seeing them working as an artist.”

Plein Air Art can help capture authentic scenes and convey the scenery of the place your painting. 

“Just being able to be outside drawing and having fun while drawing the garden of U.City was the most memorable moment for me,” Burdette said. “I get my inspiration from my teacher and things I see around the classroom.”

The students worked in a variety of media: watercolor, pastels and watercolor pencils to create pieces in a variety of styles. 

“We had all kinds of plants, flowers, bushes and trees to paint,” Claunch said.

The event included awards divided into two categories: youth and adults. Some of our student artists were recognized and awarded: Doyle won first place; Burdette won second place; Tejada won third place; Hanley-Pickett won Honorable Mention. Prizes were given at the reception.

“There was a man who announced the winners [at the reception],” Doyle said. “He called the winners starting with honorable mention. I thought I would get second, third, or honorable mention. I didn’t even notice the ribbon on my piece. My mom was there and before we went she

said, ‘You never know; you might win.’ I was still surprised. I had never won anything like that before.”

Doyle used the windy afternoon as inspiration for his piece. 

“My inspiration was the wind,” Doyle said. “I didn’t want to focus on the physicality of the flower itself, so instead I used the wind and the direction of the wind to actually portray the flower.”

Attendees were even able to buy the pieces at the reception with artist permission.  Community members bought two student art pieces. An architect bought Wheeler’s two pieces: one for $200 and another for $20. Linda Taylor, director of Centennial Commons, bought Burdette’s piece for $25. Twenty percent of each sale goes to U.City in Bloom.

“I wasn’t planning on selling one of my pieces then someone offered to buy it for $200, so I ended up selling my artwork,” Wheeler said. “I arrived late during the drawing part, so I was worried that I wouldn’t have any art to submit. But I ended up finishing my pieces.”

On top of our student artists, six of the band and orchestra students performed outdoors, providing music in the Musick neighborhood as folks arrived for the garden tour. 

“It was a really fun and great time to get to play whatever we wanted,” Declan O’Leary, senior, said. “It was a great chance to do whatever I wanted in front of an audience and play with other band members.”