ARTISTIC FLAIR

School hall transformed into art gallery

The three-day pop-up art gallery in the hall at Palmerston North’s Winchester School is an almost overwhelming experience.

Every square metre of wall was covered with colour, shapes and dazzling designs.

The school’s year 6 art ambassadors were proud of the impact the Winchester Art Expo had on visitors, and went to great lengths to explain the multiple styles and class projects that inspired the works.

‘‘Some is computer art, some has recycling in it and some is maths-based,’’ Tyson Mcdonnellstewart, 11, said

Alongside creations in clay, papier mache, 3D, and photography, CD and paper-bag art mixes with coloured ink prints, along with impressive river-themed dot art and striking Masai glue texture paintings.

‘‘Each class has its own section,’’ Linn Herzig, also 11, said, eager to arrive at the year 6 section where they ‘‘had saved the best till last’’.

On the way, joining the vibrant sunflowers, the tu¯ ı¯, kereru¯ , pandas and dragonflies, were dog’s heads cleverly crafted from leaves.

‘‘They are foxes,’’ corrected 11-year-old Amanda Popovich, an expo prize-winner in 2015. ‘‘Foxes are cuter than dogs.’’ Any gallery owner would be envious of the attention being paid to these works, as a class of year 3 pupils clustered in front of paintings that took their eye.

‘‘They have been asked to find something they really like – that isn’t their own – and sketch it,’’ teacher Janferie Day said.

Art was part of a grand tradition at Winchester. Principal Bede Gilmore said the expo was usually held every two years, but even when they had the option of not holding it, staff insisted it go ahead.

‘‘They came in on their own time and spent this past weekend up ladders. The idea is that everyone [in the school] has at least one work on display. The standard is amazing.’’

The ‘‘gallery’’ was open to parents and the public until yesterday, and the artworks will be taken down after a morning tea today.

Some is computer art, some has recycling in it, and some is maths based. Tyson Mcdonnell-stewart, 11

PHOTO: DAVID UNWIN/STUFF ‘‘Sketch artists Tessa Le Goer Francois, 7, Mikaela Murphy, 7, Kate Howard, 8, and Lucy Costley, 8, in the Winchester School hall.’’