Young Thanet artists have won awards for their brilliant paintings

Paintings were on exhibition, and one was created, at the Thanet Schools Young Artists Competition and Exhibition.

Thirty-five Thanet schools exhibited 650 individual paintings, created by the pupils from the age of four to 18, at this year’s Thanet Schools Young Artists Competition and Exhibition.

Tasked with this year’s theme of “The Simple Pleasures of Life”, the competition, organised by The Rotary Club of Margate and hosted by Sainsbury’s at Westwood Cross, has showcased an array of vibrant and eye-catching artwork inspired by the young peoples’ free interpretation. Each school selected pictures to exhibit.

The official opening and prize giving took place on Saturday, May 13, headed by Rotary assistant district governor Brian Dunn and assisted by special guest Willow Winston an internationally renowned artist and sculpture creator.

The winner of the prize for Best in show went to 11-year-old Elliot Perry of St Lawrence College.  All the pictures were judged by Steven Alexander a retired teacher, artist and author, Willow Winston international artist, Dawn Morgan from the Thanet Decorative Fine Arts Society and artist Brian Homewood, who was the head judge.

The year group winners were

Age Group 4 & 5, Ava Cohen St Nicholas Primary School

Age Group 6 & 7 Marmaduke Plant St Saviours Primary School

Age Group 8 & 9 Joshua Houseman St Lawrence college Juniors and Billy Budd St Peters Primary School

Age Group 10 &11, Elliot Parry and Flinn Gilroy Evans St Lawrence College Junior School Age Group 12 & 13 Ruby Lyndford Shatham House & Clarendan School

Age Group 14 to 18 Deanna H of St Anthony’s School, Jake Groombridge Stone Bay School, Cullum Brooks Laleham Gape School.

School teachers were asked to submit their own paintings and the winner was Susan Holmes of St Anthony’s School.

Judges awarded Merit certificates to 76 young artists for outstanding work.

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Margate harbour painting

Artist Steven Alexandra prepared a painting which he then asked children attending the exhibition to add their artistic touches into which finished the view of Margate harbour. Seventy-five children took part.

Local businesses generously sponsored the event. Sainsbury’s gave gift vouchers to all the winners, The Mouth & Foot Artists Trust supplied painting equipment for schools to use to encourage children to take up art.

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All the winning paintings will be on display at the York Street Gallery, Ramsgate.

Winning artists are being invited to attend workshops for portrait and plein air painting with professional artists Brian Homewood and Steven Alexandra.

‘High standard’

Rotary Club of Margate President Chris Burton said: “It is a pleasure to see the Thanet Schools Young Artist Competition, now in its 11th year, grow in support from the schools with pupils exhibiting such a high standard of paintings. The judges congratulated the children on the high standard of the art and said how difficult it was to select the winners.

“The Rotary club of Margate would like to thank Sainsbury’s for giving them the opportunity to exhibit the artistic talents of the young people of Thanet and the schools for encouraging the students to take part.

“Meeting the public during the exhibition and the encouraging comments were really appreciated. We hope that more schools next year will see this as an opportunity to promote the talent of Thanet’s young artists to the general public.”

Find more photos and the full list of commended young artists here