ROME TOWNSHIP — The inveterate sketching of Joyce Doane, along with the guidance of her art teacher, Phoebe Carey, has reaped rewards for the Fairland High senior.

Last week Doane received honors for a mixed media work of hers from the Huntington Museum of Art.

Doane, along with classmates from Fairland and art students from other Lawrence County, West Virginia and Kentucky schools, is part of this year’s Portfolio 2009.

The student art exhibition is an annual event of the Huntington Museum showcasing the talent of area high school students. This year Mary Grassell, a Marshall University professor of art, was the juror for the show.

Doane, who admits to a lifelong penchant for what she describes as doodling, is drawn to the visual medium as a means of self-expression.

“You can do whatever you want,” she said.

For her entry she created a quasi collage of acrylics paired with paper with the goal of offering something of beauty. She called it “Fluttery Lines,” and it received an award of recognition from the Marshall professor.

Even when she’s not in class, Doane enjoys filling up book after book with her pencil sketches.

“When I get bored or have no other books to read,” she said.

Fairland’s art students have participated in the Portfolio for the past five years.

“It’s comparable to a science fair competition,” Carey said. “Each school has to find the best.”

Carey, who teaches all media except video production, hopes that by working in a variety of methods her students will learn firsthand what it takes to create art.

“By doing art, they’ll learn to appreciate how difficult it is to make … color, the way things are arranged, perspective,” she said.

What makes Doane a successful art student?

“Her attitude to detail. She pays attention to detail,” Carey said.

The exhibition runs through May 17. The Huntington Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. General admission is $5 and free on Tuesdays.