NATCHEZ — Walking through the Natchez City Cemetery with her camera in hand, Aimee Guido never expected to be responsible for creating artwork to represent the cemetery.

But that is exactly what she was asked to do when she was approached about creating a T-shirt design for the Angels on the Bluff cemetery tour.

Knowing she was a talented artist, Micki Hartley, board member for the Natchez City Cemetery, asked her if she had the time to design a new T-shirt for the annual cemetery tours.

“She knew I was busy with student teaching, but I said of course,” Guido said. “It is an honor to be asked to do this.”

The art education major at Delta State University returned to Natchez to do her student teaching at McLaurin Elementary School in Natchez. She is the daughter of Paul and Suzanne Guido.

The new T-shirt features a design of an iron gate at the cemetery. Guido said that in talking with the cemetery board about the design, it was decided that the beauty of the ironwork at the cemetery should be featured.

“They actually went out and took pictures of some of the gates and e-mailed this one to me,” Guido said. “I had already been out there and picked this one and taken a photo of it.”

Guido said she like this particular gate because it depicted an angel in the center.

The design, which she drew from a photo, took her about 10 days to complete. She was first asked to do the design in mid-September and had it finished by the end of that month.

T-shirts are $15 each and are on sale now at the Natchez Visitors Center.

The Angels on the Bluff tours are scheduled for Nov. 7 and 8. Tickets for the tours are also on sale now.

Guido donated her artistic skills to the cemetery board.

“It is more important to get my work out there,” Guido said.

Guido said doing the design was special not only because she got to share her artistic talent, but because she has a deep family connection with the cemetery.

“My grandmother passed away right before I was asked to do the design,” Guido said. “And I have a lot of family that is buried at the cemetery. That made it an even more special time for designing the T-shirt.”

Guido said that art wasn’t something the always thought about pursuing. But the 2003 graduate of Cathedral School, decided it was important to do something she was passionate about.