Creative pupils have been praised for their eye-catching tributes to a local hero whose decorative flourishes transformed some of Scotland’s grandest houses.
Budding artists from two central Fife schools produced their work for a competition that marked the 100th anniversary of painter and illustrator William McLaren’s birth.
Pupils from McLaren’s former schools – Beath High and Cardenden Primary – were invited to create artworks inspired by the miner’s son from Dundonald.
Among McLaren’s many high-profile commissions were murals for Wemyss Castle in Fife, Hopetoun House in West Lothian and Tyninghame House in East Lothian.
The Edinburgh College of Art graduate was a successful illustrator, working for magazines and designing dust jackets for books that included work by Enid Blyton and Jules Verne.
Pupils were shown a selection of McLaren’s work – including murals, book illustrations and self-portraits – as inspiration.
Entries for the competition, organised by cultural charity OnFife, included paintings, drawings, mixed media, prints and collages.
Pupils from P4-7 at Cardenden and S1-3 at Beath took part. Artwork by the winners and runners-up in each class was displayed in Cardenden Library.
The four class winners from Cardenden Primary were Alex Clapon, Harris Buckingham, Elliot Walker and Rebeca Clapon. Susanna Inglis, Lucy Wilkinson and Hazel Adams won the three class prizes at Beath High.
The two overall school winners were Rebeca Clapon and Hazel Adams – their entries have been framed and are now on display in Kirkcaldy Galleries.
Judging the competition were Cardenden Library Assistant Heather Brown, OnFife’s Collections Leader Gavin Grant and Cardenden History Group member David Taylor.
Niamh Logie, of OnFife’s Young People and Families Team, said: “It’s been wonderful to share William McLaren’s work with young people from the community where he grew up and to take inspiration from his legacy. The standard of artwork submitted from all of the classes has been outstanding.”
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Notes to editors: OnFife is a registered charity and manages and operates theatres, libraries, museums and galleries and cultural partnerships on behalf of Fife Council for people living, working and visiting Fife. Further information can be found at www.onfife.com
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