By Bo Davies 18yrs

Eighteen-year-old Bo sent me a selection of exam paintings. I think you will agree she has a successful future ahead if she decides to pursue art as a career.

By Elias 6yrs

6-year-old Elias is a very outdoor adventurous boy but enjoyed an afternoon in my studio trying out new painting techniques to produce this exciting landscape.


It's that time of year again. The beginning of the school academic year. That first week in September affects so many people, from children to adults. Young children being prised from the hands of parents for the first time and led into a room full of strangers. Slightly older children have the butterflies in their stomachs, either from nerves or excitement, at the thought of moving up into a new class with a new teacher. Then there are the eleven-year-olds, who are transitioning from being the oldest in their school to now being the youngest. It is a daunting thought to contend with the night before that first day. Further up in secondary school, students are anticipating the world of GCSEs and other workloads which will or will not impact the rest of their lives. Many may be looking forward to that last year when on the cusp of adulthood and making choices, whether good or not so good.

By Evie Bridge 8yrs

Evie Bridge, 8 years old, sometimes becomes overwhelmed and finds painting helps overcome any challenges.

By Amanda 17yrs

Amanda, 17 years old, painted her younger brother in a pensive mood in this evocative portrait.


Let's not forget the adults here. The sunny, idyllic days of summer will soon be a distant dream for teachers and school staff. Drowning in lesson plans, spreadsheets, book marking, and, oh yes, quite a few hours of teaching will return to everyday life. Parents may be relieved to return to some sort of normal and routine. Others may miss the relaxed days spent getting up that little bit later and enjoying fun time as a family. Of course, it would be a different matter for working parents jostling childcare, etc.

By Ashiya 9yrs

Ashiya, 9 years old, painted a starry night somewhere in Norway and showed the Northern Lights. Perhaps she was dreaming of somewhere magical.I can remember experiencing most of these episodes from nursery to adulthood. In 1952 at the age of four I distinctly recall being left at the nursery door to be met by an aproned lady (I use the word 'lady' reluctantly here) holding a bottle of cod liver oil and a spoon. After pouring it down my throat, I was told to move forward and get a plastic cup half filled with very diluted orange juice, presumably to deaden the taste of the cod liver oil. It was never questioned or refused. It was just what happened, and that was that.

There was the nervous walk into the exam room waiting for the instruction: 'You may now turn over your paper. If it was literature, I was in my element, and of course art was a breeze, but anything else I dreaded, and I only did my best to make sure I got enough marks to get into art school.

I continue to advocate the importance of art as a form of relaxation and mental health 'therapy'. In all the ups and downs mentioned above, from 4-year-olds to adults. Art doesn't have to be taken seriously. A doodle on a scrap of paper at the side of your laptop while you are working or doing homework is also art. Children can chalk on pavements or construct a model out of a cereal box as long as it's fun. Anything to take them away from their phones or other screens. I also know how easy it is to let children sit at a computer to give parents a bit of peace and quiet.

Never stifle creativity, and please enjoy the artwork in today's article.



Please submit young people's artwork (4 - 18 years) via email or Curator Space.
Lynne Dobson Yorkshire Artist
purplegrandma48@gmail.com