Art teacher paints student for auction
Trio gives back to community through unlikeliest of circumstances
Art teacher Nicole McCaigue’s painting of junior violinist Rachel Schoenberger.
The art department has combined music and a canvas for a great cause. At a Chandler Educational Foundation Fundraising event on Aug. 16, 2012, Perry’s string quartet was invited to perform and orchestra teacher Alex Zheng captured a uniquely blurry picture of junior Rachel Shoenberger playing the viola.
Zheng showed this intriguing picture to other teachers, and art teacher Nicole McCaigue loved the rich colors and style of the art, and took interest in the photo.
“I had told him that I loved to paint portraits and had always admired impressionism and strived to having a touch of the style in my work,” McCaigue says.
McCaigue started to paint right away and had the color blocking done, but stopped working on it.
“Looking back, I don’t remember why I stopped,” she continues. “I was inspired to put it back on the easel a couple of weeks ago when one of my prints sold at an auction for the Chandler Gilbert Community College Scholarship.”
Returning to work on the painting over a year later, it took McCaigue a total of six days to complete. She entered it into the PHS auction to help raise scholarship money for college-bound students.
Zheng was surprised to see that McCaigue had painted the picture.
That was about one and half years ago when I showed the picture to Nicole,” he explains, “and it was a totally surprise when Nicole brought in the actual painting of Rachel a couple of weeks ago and told me she was going to donate it to the auction for the scholarship.“
At the auction, the original painting could sell for $600-$800 depending on the attendees and the prints would be about $350, McCaigue said.
Shoenberger also expresses her excitement for the painting to be sold in the auction. She explains, “I wasn’t expecting it. It is weird to think your face will be in someone else’s house. But I hope my parents will buy the painting.”
Zheng admires Shoenberger and McCaigue donating their time to charity.
“This is a great story about a teacher and a student who probably don’t know each other, but their contributions toward charitable Chandler school events have brought their lives together,” he explains.
The painting will be auctioned at El Zocalo Mexican Grill, on Mar. 6 from 6-9 p.m.
Haley Brown is a sophomore who covers track and field, health and food. Haley has a passion for print journalism and would like to pursue a career in journalism....