“With this exhibition, I wanted every Alpena High School 2D Art student to have the opportunity to have their work exhibited,” AHS incoming junior Cassia Marchinski wrote in her mission statement for the exhibit. “By giving art students the chance to showcase whatever piece they choose, students can have the chance to show off something that they are truly proud of. This also gives students a chance to be happy and proud of themselves when they might not usually get that chance.”

In a phone interview, Marchinski explained some of the inspiration behind her own pieces. She has three in the show, including a watercolor blue bird on the branch of a tree, a freeform abstract painting, and a mixed media piece.

“I’ve been painting all my life,” the 16-year-old said. “But I started getting really interested in it as a hobby and passion, maybe around eighth grade, during the COVID lockdown.”

Painting is a relaxing way to express yourself, she said.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Here is a piece of student artwork on display at Thunder Bay Arts Gallery now through Thursday. The gallery is located at 127 W. Chisholm St., Alpena.

“I love painting because I can just express my inner emotions,” Marchinski said. “I love doing landscapes and capturing the beauty of nature.”

She explained the techniques she used in the pieces included in this exhibition.

“One of them is called a neurodoodle,” she said. “Basically, what we did in art class, was we did a random scribble, and then we went over it and smoothed out all the lines. And then we took watercolor and we chose what colors, kind of, spoke to us, and it was an abstract piece.”

She continued, “When we did the doodle, we thought about a problem in our life that we’d like to fix. And then, with the colors, we just, kind of, expressed how we were feeling. So I chose some sunset colors, because those are really peaceful to me.”

Another piece she created uses a page from a dictionary as a backdrop, with watercolor and ink drawings in the forefront.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Here is a piece of Cassia Marchinski's student artwork on display at Thunder Bay Arts Gallery now through Thursday. The gallery is located at 127 W. Chisholm St., Alpena.

Her third piece is a watercolor of an indigo bunting on a branch, which can be seen in the photo above.

“I just wanted to make it realistic,” she said.

Her art teacher is Cara Proehl at AHS.

Thunder Bay Arts Gallery artists are proud of the students for their creative work, and they are happy to have their artwork on display in the gallery. They said it helps the students build confidence to have their work on display.

“We love having the kids’ work in here,” said Kay Kline, one of the artists who has work for show and sale at Thunder Bay Arts Gallery.

The gallery features the work of about 25 artists, who take turns working at the gallery.

“Our hope is that they’ll continue with artwork, and being an artist, and eventually come back here and be one of us,” Kline added.

TBA Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.