This month, in a coffee shop, waiting room, or bookstore, stay alert. In the stacks of photos and magazines, PHS art students’ work is there: right on the front cover of the East Bay Monthly.

Senior Natalie Jeng won the East Bay Monthly cover contest, and senior Delaney Keating placed third, art teacher Gillian Bailey said.

“It’s very important for students to realize art doesn’t just exist in the classroom,” Bailey said.

Bailey said, seniors Mia Horvath and Elizabeth Winters, as well as PHS alumni Satvik Dubai and Will Dalton received honorable mentions.

“I’m really proud of [my students],” Bailey said. “A lot of hard work goes into creating those pieces and choosing those pieces.”

Bailey said, the cover contest has featured PHS and MHS students about 90 to 95 percent of the time over the last 15 years.

“It’s nice to be acknowledged in a broader sense,” Bailey said, “where somebody has cared enough and appreciated you work enough to put it in print.”

The success in competition can be attributed in part to in class discussion of what makes an art piece good for a cover and right for the client. The other part comes from students talent and artistic expression, Bailey said.

“While I introduce students to new techniques and ideas, they bring the extra artist’s voice and that’s where the artwork really becomes authentic and their own, Bailey said. “Those are the pieces that are really successful in the competitions.”

Jeng demonstrated her artistic voice in a self portrait superimposed on a background of macarons, the winning piece.

“This was one of the pieces where I really got a lot of freedom to do what I wanted,” Jeng said. “It’s really my art style because I really enjoy drawing people and I really enjoy drawing food.”

Macarons are Jeng’s favorite food, so their addition made the portrait more personal.

“There’s that saying, ‘You are what you eat,’ Jeng said.”

Jeng said, she didn’t expect her self portrait to win because she didn’t think the East bay Monthly would put her face on the front cover.

“It’s kinda cool seeing my face on [the cover],” Jeng said, “but it was also kind of embarrassing.”

She said, after getting third place last year, it was shocking to find out she’d won, but she thinks her silly portrait captured her desire for art to make people happy.

“[I thought] I’m going to be over the top because people like cookies and I’m going to have a goofy face on it,” Jeng said.

Keating, who won third place, said, her piece was based off artist James Rosenquist, who famously blended together images from popular media.

“For my Rosenquist project I did a 1970s car that blended into a guy holding a surfboard and the background was a setting sun,” Keating said.

Keating said, she loved how much it represented southern California. Her mom grew up there, so it evoked some nostalgia.

“That was one of my favorite pieces I did last year,” Keating said.