Students and teachers gather along the sidewalk in the early morning. Chill, chalk, water and brushes lie scattered around them as images are slowly drawn on the concrete. As the midmorning light fades into afternoon, simple marks become portraits, landscapes, and surrealist works across the length of the park. Before long, refined lines and the final touches of vibrant colors fill every corner as time runs out, each student hoping to make their mark on the judges.

Art students from across the Canyon and Amarillo area met at Medi Park Saturday, Oct. 17 for the Texas Art Education Association’s second Art in the Park sidewalk competition, with sophomores Raylee Fernandez and Taryn Gullick taking home the People’s Choice Award for their entry.

“We didn’t think we were going to get it,” Gullick said. “It was a spur of the moment, ‘Let’s do it and try it.’ We were looking for ideas, and we liked the abstract kind of thing, so we pieced together some different ones to come up with something not too hard, but not too easy. It was a fun experience.”

The competition lasted nearly five hours and was geared toward giving students an opportunity to explore new ideas.

“We looked at pictures and got what we liked,” Fernandez said. “We wanted to be abstract with it. We thought it would be fun to do. I’ve never really done chalk so that was new. It was long, but it was fun.”

The contest emphasizes the importance of diversifying a young artist’s toolbox to include more nontraditional techniques in their projects, art teacher Valeria Mayoral said.

 “The main purpose is for students to have the experience of drawing with a different medium and on a different surface,” Mayoral said. “Different mediums will each have their own techniques, and everyone will be at a different skill level. The more you do something, the more experienced you’re going to be, the more you’re going to figure out your mistakes. You’re going to figure out how the medium works better for you.”

Fifty students entered the competition this year. Mayoral said a major part of the process was helping students through the use of unfamiliar methods.

“I tell them they can come up to me and ask any questions they may have,” Mayoral said. “A lot of my students have not worked with chalk before, at least not drawing something big, so I guide them through it, and they come up with their drawing. I’m there to guide them and give them techniques on shading and how they should first start.”

Mayoral said gatherings like Art in the Park are oriented around giving art students control over their work and the ability to engage with a wider variety of artists outside of their own circles.

“I like that it’s student-driven,” Mayoral said. “The students get to choose what they want to draw. Sometimes students don’t want to be involved in something that’s completely teacher-driven; it’s just not interesting. It’s nice to see the different ideas students have, even from one school to another. It’s also a time for young artists to see other artists, other artwork and meet other people than just the community at their high school. They get to talk about their own art and art they’re interested in, so it’s nice to share experiences with each other.”