The selection of auctioned artwork included self-portraits, marker drawings on the backs of old CDs, and colorful, abstract pieces made from construction paper.

The artists weren't Picasso or Warhol, but their pieces were more desirable to the eager buyers.

The third Minot Forest Elementary Art Show and Auction, held Thursday, May 3, offered works by the school's first- through fifth-graders.

"Guess who's going to be the brokest guy in the building?" asked parent Jim Franklin. "The guy with three daughters!"

The silent auction of student works was open only to the parents and relatives of the artists.

Franklin's 9-year-old daughter, Breanna, had a drawing of a red dragon on display, while 7-year-old Shannon showed off a self-portrait. Julie, 5, tagged along with her siblings, checking out all the offerings.

The auction "usually costs a fortune," Franklin said with a smile before being directed to a table designated for auction registration.

Fourth-grader Kara Young proudly carried a colorful drawing with her first name across it. She had to put masking tape on the paper, paint around it, and remove the tape to reveal "KARA" in big, block letters.

It wasn't hard to make, she said. She was allowed to use any colors except for black and brown.

"It was really fun," Kara exclaimed, noting that the piece took her at least three to four art classes to complete.

Fourth-grader Jason Klemp kept the technique of his line drawing -- an outline of his hands completed first in pencil and then in marker -- mostly a secret.

His mother, Jessica, revealed that Jason had told her it wasn't easy spacing the lines appropriately.

Jessica was impressed.

"I'm thinking that I might go to [craft store] Michael's on the way home and grab a frame for it!" she said, surmising that the piece would work well on one of the walls of the family's guest room.

A live auction, consisting of donated pieces -- many created by Minot Forest staff members -- followed the silent auction of the students' work.

The coveted piece? A sculpture of sorts resembling the Cheshire Cat from "Alice in Wonderland," which went for $250.

On its own, the $250 donation to the Minot Forest art department nearly doubled sole art teacher Nancy Lennon's annual $300 budget -- a welcomed contribution, as the auction was put on hiatus last year as Lennon recovered from surgery.

The auction brought in $800 the first year and approximately $2,800 the second. Lennon said was optimistic about this year's potential earnings, which are still being totaled by auction cashiers (Minot staffers), as families who couldn't make the auction continue to send in donations for the coveted pieces. Preliminary totals suggest the earnings will be in excess of $2,200.

"We had a good crowd," Lennon noted.

And much of that crowd left with not one, but several masterpieces.