Art is alive and well at Grand County High School, and on exhibit at the Dan O’Laurie Canyon Country Museum through February.

More than 60 pieces are displayed under professional lighting and with an artist’s eye for placement. The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 1 to 7 p.m.

While a large majority of the pieces are large, pencil and ink or chalk black and white, the exhibit includes a handful of bright, colorful acrylics in 4”x4” inch frames. These underline an array of sketches that range from modern abstract and almost architectural drawing to human images of remarkable muscular and facial detail.

Among the latter are drawings several students composed of a young child or baby crawling near or on a guitar (or mandolin). The drawings vary by artist but are identical in theme, giving a hint of each artist’s particular strengths.

One artist, Becky Carey, drew two self-portraits of amazing likeness. Another, Amber Knight, has three young men being carried down river, one in a dangerous predicament as the others look on.

Calvin Denney created a 2003-2004 school calendar with a dozen colorful abstracts worthy of distribution. A skeletal drawing is exact, and staircases two dimensional.

High school sculptors exhibit their ventures in the art with plaster eggs, shaped a carved with their own images, suggestive of what might be inside.

The students who are featured in the exhibit also include Darrel Begay, Danielle Hobson, Eagle Lee, Sarah Stock, Tyson Grah and Kelsee Defranchia, among many others. The work is culled from the classes of Grand County High School art teachers Ryan Anderson and Chris Becker. Between them, the high school offers classes in two-dimensional drawing, drawing I & II, painting, commercial art, ceramics I & II, art foundations, sculpting, jewelry I & II, and AP studio art. The AP studio art class prepares students to put together a portfolio for review in Washington.

The artwork is not juried for the show, but rather a collection of finished pieces gleaned from the high school student’s first trimester. More color and painting, as well as the ceramics and jewelry making will be included in the second and third trimesters.

The Dan O’Laurie Canyon Country Museum has featured a high school art exhibit each year for six years, according to Chris Becker. Students also look forward to showing and selling their work at the annual Art Fair at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center in March and April.