Whether its alluring portraits revealing secrets of the world’s unknown mysteries, hours of creating designs with sand paper or stunning Ukrainian Easter eggs, art class continues to create imaginative ideas.

Creative ideas come together to form miraculous creations that are either submitted to the ACSI art festival or The Big Fresno Fair (October 3-14). Sharon Scharf’s art class has a history of receiving “Best of Show” at ACSI festivals including the latest by Sarah Damm, ’03. Jamie Meadows, ’03, received third place in the oil painting category.

Damm, Meadows and Rachel Jacobsen, ?04, each won ribbons at The Big Fresno Fair in October. Damm won first for her pastel drawing of a tiger, Meadows got third for her oil painting of a parrot and Jacobsen received first for a Ukranian Easter egg.

“I have so much fun in Mrs. Scharf’s class, because she really does make me into the best artist I can possibly be,” Damm said. “I am currently working with pastels. I have decided to design my own idea of a flowing ballerina. I hope this form of art really takes off. Getting best of show at the ACSI Festival last year was such a great experience. I felt like I accomplished my goals for that year, and I hope only to grow in my ability to be an artist.”

Various types of people are attached to art. Depending on how they feel and what their specific goals are. During November, the art class is creating Christmas cards and letters for the military men and women in uniform overseas.

“This year I hope to accomplish more than just a year of art,” Scharf said. “I hope to accomplish a year of good learning and designing individual creations of art, according to what the students enjoy in life, or how they feel.”

This year art class entered many entrees of art in The Big Fresno Fair, which demanded hours of hard work in and out of class. Sometimes students need a teacher to believe in them before they break out and risk putting materials together in art.

” I know that there are many students that join art not having much hope in themselves to succeed in art,” Scharf said. “I remember a couple of years ago there was a boy that had this very same belief. When he came into this class he did not have any hope in himself, and thought he would never have a passion for art.”

Often Scharf is a coach and cheerleader to not only motivate her students but to also give them encouragement that they can succeed.

“I just relayed to him and said that he would need to find his inner love for art,” Scharf continued. “This meant that he didn’t have to paint or draw. So he though about it and got out a piece of styrophom and started playing around with it. In subsequent classes, he made a model of a spectacular automobile. Not only did he show himself he could do it, but he also displayed the thought for other students at school.”

Meadows is another one of Scharf’s successful students and has been an art student since seventh grade.

“Art is probably my favorite class in this school, because I really like to draw,” Meadows said. “Mrs. Scharf is an awesome teacher because she always says crazy phrases such as ?get your beans in a row’ and ?pick up all those nerdles’.”

Currently Meadows is working with colored pencils and usually draw things that happen to be on her mind

“I work on art all the time even when I’m in another class,” Meadows said. “I really do enjoy painting best, but I don’t really have that much time to work on it anymore, especially with all of my homework.”

The art class also has plans to make contributions to the ACSI festival, which usually takes place in Oakhurst but this year the festival will take place in Downtown Clovis on April 19.