Great Falls — While preparing for the Great Falls School of Art’s second annual show, Director Ben Cheshire ran into one problem.

“I came in a few days before the show to label everything, and I thought the artists who have studios here had taken up the walls,” he said. “That’s how high quality their work is.”

Students from the school, which is taught at the space on Walker Road known as the “Artists’ Atelier,” showed off their best pieces Saturday, Jan. 7 at the school’s annual show.

Vicky Wang, 16, has been taking classes at the school since October, and won second place for her painting “Human Eye Profile Study.” Wang says she enjoys the personal experience she gets from teachers at the school.

“There’s only two students in my class, so you get a lot of attention,” she said. “They’ve really helped me develop.”

Begoña Morton won three awards, two honorable mentions, and second place in the adult category for her painting “Nautilus.” Morton has been a student for two years, and she says it’s good to have such a vibrant art community in a small town like Great Falls.

“I got a late start in art, I was an economist in Brussels for years. Art was always something that was with me, and now I feel so lucky to be able to do something that’s my passion,” she said. “I’m thankful for the teachers, especially Jill Banks, this is as much her prize as it is mine. We’re lucky to learn from artists who are professionals, and they give everything they have to the students.”

This was the second major show from the school, which held one last year. Banks, one of the teachers and a painter herself, says she hopes this will be part of an upward trend for the school.

“Last year was the biggest event we had, and this year the art has improved a lot, and hopefully it will continue to,” she said.

The winning styles ranged from everything from oil paintings to manga. More information on the school can be found at www.greatfallsfoundationforarts.org.