Kids go on a joyride for art

A Grade five learner's artistic impression of a 1936 Graham Crusader, owned by local car enthusiast Kevin Irwin, scooped the first prize in the "Me and my Ride" visual arts competition hosted by Protea Hotel King George.

Jizelle Farnham of Outeniqua Primary came out tops, followed by Jayden van Rensburg (Gr 6) of Holy Cross, and AnSophie Bucholz (Gr 6) of Outeniqua Primary in third place.

Eight primary schools from George entered the competition and 32 finalists were chosen to display their work at a prize-giving event last Friday. The artworks depict various antique automobiles owned by Capetonian businessmen, who drove to the Southern Cape last week for the 24th George Old Car Show.

According to the hotel's sales and marketing executive Lizèl van der Westhuizen, the men were besotted with the children's work. "Most of the works were sold to the owners of the cars," she said. "The learners were given various pictures of vehicles to chose from. Not only did all 32 finalists receive cash prizes, but they will also receive the money earned from selling the paintings, at R500 a piece." The prize money for the top three artists ranged from R5 000 to R2 000, with each other entrant receiving R500 in cash.

This initiative by Arthur Gillis, one of the hotel's directors, stems from his love of automobiles and art. Running the competition for the first time in George, the hotel group envisage a bigger footprint in the future, with more schools sharing in the opportunity. The primary schools that participated are Holy Cross, Dellville Park, Heidedal, Outeniqua, Tyholorha, New Dawn Park, Kretzenshoop and Thembalethu. Finalists were treated to a light lunch, a goody bag, a T-shirt and a joy ride through town in a convoy of classic cars.