MCS Art Students Participate in the OV Plein Air Paint Out

Students in Visual Art classes at two Marshall County schools continued the tradition of participating in the annual Ohio Valley Plein Air Paint Out on Friday.

Art students from John Marshall High School and Moundsville Middle School traveled to the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville to paint cityscapes and landscapes in the plein air style, otherwise known as painting while outdoors. A few high school students set up their easels and canvases near the Strand Theatre on Jefferson Avenue so they could illustrate the city’s historic business district.

Plein Air artist Eric Dye, from Artworks Around Town Inc., worked with the students as an artist in residency, which was made possible through a grant from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture & History. The grant also funded additional supplies for students to use to create their artwork. The Marshall County Historical Society provided information to the plein air painters about historical buildings visible from the designated painting areas.

Top student artworks will be submitted to the regional plein air show at Artworks Around Town in Wheeling. The Plein Air Art Show opens on Sunday, October 1, 2023, at 3:00 pm and will run for the entire month of October.

Once the month-long show is finished, Marshall County students’ artwork will then be moved to the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex to be displayed for the month of November.