Correspondent photo / Susan Wojnar Suzanne Gray, 75, of Columbiana, arts and humanities coordinator and art instructor at the Davis YMCA in Boardman, stands with pictures of her students at the YMCA Artists demonstration booth outside the Fine Arts building at the 179th Canfield Fair, which continues through Labor Day.

CANFIELD — Art was in the air Friday at the 179th Canfield Fair at the YMCA Artists demonstration booth, just outside the Fine Arts building.

Suzanne Gray, 75, of Columbiana, who initiated the arts and humanities programs at the YMCA in 2003, said that at the Davis Family YMCA in Boardman, one can explore a variety of arts and humanities classes, all of which are taught by professionals. A diverse lineup of visual and performance art classes are available, rounded out by several workshops and informal clubs.

Adult classes include painting, mixed media, pen and ink, pottery and water color. Classes for youth are youth art, anime and the LEGO Club, where children build critical thinking skills while building towers, vehicles, bridges and animals. A special class for adults with special needs is called Art Outside the Lines.

In addition to instructing at the Y, Gray coordinates three community art shows throughout the year, focusing on local talent to raise funds for different outreach programs. She also works as an art therapist and is on the Canfield Fair’s fine arts staff.

Sue McFadden, 76, of Lake Milton, is an adult painting instructor at the Davis YMCA and the featured artist at Friday’s demonstration. Gray is her teacher.

McFadden was deeply engaged with her as yet untitled watercolor of a blue flower.

“I just made it up. It’s no particular flower,” she said of the work in progress.

She said she has been taking painting classes at the YMCA for 10 years.

“I always enjoyed art and had taken classes at the MCCTC (Mahoning County Career and Technical Center). I found out through a friend about the classes at the YMCA,” she McFadden said.

Both Gray and McFadden agreed that the art students and instructors are “a tight-knit group,” and the social aspect of getting together to paint can’t be underestimated.

McFadden grew up in Westview, near Pittsburgh, where she went to school to become a hairdresser. One of her paintings on display at the demonstration, titled “Memories,” is a winter city street scene of downtown Westview, showing a bus at an intersection, Gimbels department store, where she worked as a clerk for a while, the beauty school she attended and a cafe. Another of McFadden’s floral paintings, an untitled work of a white iris, won second prize at this year’s fine arts competition. “Memories” took third place last year.

She said she initially hated watercolor.

“Now that I’ve mastered it, I love it. But working with oils is my favorite. Oil you can blend more, and it takes longer to dry. With watercolor, once you put the paint down, you can’t change it and you always have to work with light to dark. When asked if she subscribed to any particular technique or theory when painting, she said, “I just go with my gut feeling; if it looks good, it looks good. I may have to rearrange a few things sometimes, but I go with what feels right.”

McFadden said she ended up in the Mahoning Valley, when her husband, who worked at Goodyear, got transferred. When first arriving here, she opened a beauty shop and was a sales representative for Paul Mitchell. She noted the creativity needed to be a good stylist.

She said these days, she and her husband are “snowbirds” with a winter home in Florida.

“My Florida home is not as well equipped as the studio in my home in Lake Milton. I do more painting when I am here. I could do it 24 hours a day. It’s so relaxing. I just love it,” McFadden said.

FAIR EVENTS

All day each day

Old MacDonald’s (farm animals) in Barn 15

Holborn Herb Growers Gardens at the Western Reserve Village

School District Booth Displays at Educational Hall 1

Inspire Kids to do — Join 4-H at Building 25

Junior Fair activities in the southeast Junior Fair area

Milk-A-Cow near the Milking Parlor

Gardening and nature information in Building 25

International events on the International Stage

5 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Milking Parlor at the Cattle Arena Building 61

9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Antique Equipment Display in northeast corner of Fair

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Spinning Demonstrations in the north end of Fair

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. — Operating Model Train Display at Western Reserve Village

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Kids activities with OSU Extension in Building 25

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Western Reserve Wood Carvers in Fine Arts Building 2

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Trumbull Area Artists in the Fine Arts Gazebo

Saturday

11 a.m. — Harness Racing / pari-mutuel betting at the Grandstand

1 p.m. — Justified concert — Western Reserve Village

2:30 p.m. (approx.) — Wiener Dog Racing at the Grandstand

4 p.m. — Echo Valley concert — Western Reserve Village

7 p.m. — Canfield Fair Championship Truck and Tractor Pull

7:30 p.m. — Junior Fair Game Night / Movie — Event Center

Sunday

7:45 a.m. — Kid’s Duckling Dash footrace — Main Concourse

8 a.m. — Rooster Run 5K — Main Concourse

8 a.m. — Catholic Worship Service at Show Coliseum 8

10 a.m. — Praise and Worship Service at the Grandstand

11 a.m. — Rachel Joy concert — Western Reserve Village

1:30 p.m. — Junior Fair Cooking Challenge — Event Center Stage

2 p.m. — Canfield Community Band concert — Western Reserve Village

4 p.m. — Lee Ann Binder concert — Western Reserve Village

7 p.m. — Brad Paisley Concert at the Grandstand

Monday

9:30 a.m. — Rooster Crowing Contest — Show Coliseum 8

10 a.m. — Junior Fair Auction — dairy cheese

11 a.m. — Harness Racing / pari-mutuel betting at the Grandstand

11 a.m. — Junior Fair Auction in the Event Center — beef feeders, beef heifer feeders and dairy feeders

1 p.m. — J.D. Eicher concert — Western Reserve Village

7 p.m. — Lynyrd Skynyrd Concert at the Grandstand