Plains students display artistic talents

Nearly 100 people showed up at Plains High School Monday evening to check out the school's Art Exhibition 2019, where 52 high school students showed their artistic talents.

Three hundred and fifty-three pieces of art ranging from a one-inch long ceramic package of toilet paper by junior Mason Gannarelli to a nearly five-foot tall can of Mountain Dew by Chris Jones, a freshman, who also had a two-foot wide cardboard replica of Wall-E, a Disney movie character. Jones had 10 pieces in the show.

Wall-E was one of three robots in the exhibit that displayed a wide variety of mediums – paintings, ink, graphite, ceramic, metal, wood, photography, colored pencil, book sculpture and myriad 3-D pieces. "In every show we have, there's a good mix of mediums and that's really good because it shows the variety of the students' abilities," said art teacher Kristen Cole.

The largest 2-D art was a 4.5-foot wide painting on cardboard titled "The Rainbow Crow," by Kylee Altmiller and Aubrey Tulloch. The smallest was done by sophomore Matthew VanDenTop, who did an ink piece called "Tri Blueberries" and was only a few inches wide. The exhibit included 16 new ceiling tile art pieces, which now total nearly 130 in the school foyer and down the adjoining hall. The reception for the exhibit went for two hours and snacks were provided. Senior Rachel Huenink played the piano during the reception, as she has done the last four years. The exhibit was left up for three days.

Cole started the annual exhibit in 1994, her first year as a Plains teacher. "I wanted to showcase their work and I wanted them to have the experience of showing their work," said Cole, who added that it's good motivation for the kids to hear positive feedback from attendees.

Acrylic painting was the most common artwork at the show and photography was the least medium on display, although Cole said she's had quite a few quality images in her first year photography class. Paxton Johnson, a senior, had the most items with about 30, mostly acrylic paintings, said Cole. "I think he's a quiet creator. He's bursting with talent," said Cole.

"There's definitely some future professional artists here," said Plains resident Dave Williams, a professional artist for over five years and the man who created the "Guardians of the Herd" display along the Plains greenway last year. Haylee Steinebach, a freshman, who put in about 200 hours on Williams' display, had 10 pieces of art in the school exhibit. "I love her work. She's an excellent artist," said Williams. "I really love the way she plays with the light in her work," he said.

One of the most unique pieces in the show was an acrylic painting that Cole and Justine Martin, a sophomore, did together in the after-school art club during a lesson by Williams. The art was called "Juntos." The "new trendy" art, according to Cole, was a mixture of different paint colors in a cup, separated by oil. Cole and Martin used two cups of paint and oil, which were placed underneath a masonite board. The board was flipped over and the cups were lifted to allow the ingredients to pour and spread out onto the board. An epoxy was applied to the surface to give it a permanent shiny look. Cole likes the medium and has incorporated it into her art classes.

Cole said she's impressed with Martin's work. "She's on fire with her ink. People should take notice of her. She's going to be one to watch," said Cole. Martin had nine pieces in the show, including a lipstick art piece titled "Girl," which sold for $5.

"It looks like there's some real upcoming talent here," said Ilene Paulsen, the professional artist who painted two murals on the outside of the Garden, Gift & Floral building last year. Her son, Malachi, was featured once again in the exhibit with several pieces, including a metal motorcycle and his mixed media "Leafy Lion" art, which won him the People's Choice Award at the Sanders County Arts Council's Art on the Walls exhibit at Clark Fork Valley Hospital in January. He also took Best of Show in the Montana Junior Duck Stamp Contest earlier this year. Paulsen, a senior, had seven pieces in the student exhibit and sold several prints of his work.

About a quarter of the students in the show put price tags on their work. Several were priced for $1. The highest tag was $65 for a charcoal/graphite piece by Paxton Johnson. Cole said about a dozen art pieces sold.