Primary pupils showcase their art to the National Gallery at Swindon Central Library

Pupils from King William Street CE Primary School welcomed two representatives from The National Gallery to look at their amazing art project on Wednesday.

Throughout the summer holidays the pupils have had their art on display at Swindon Central Library for all to see.

It is part of the Take One Picture Project run by The National Gallery, where primary school pupils from across the country gain inspiration from one painting from the gallery's collection with different art projects.

This year's inspirational painting was Surprised! by Henry Rousseau which features a tiger hiding amongst foilage and King William Street School pupils really rose to the challenge with a range of fantastic artworks from papier-mâché tigers to collages, to ceramic leaves.

Rachel Walsh, Arts subject leader and Reception teacher, said: "The children were really inspired by the project and we are so honoured that representatives from The National Gallery made the trip down from London to inspect our work.

"Everyone worked so hard on this project with each year group taking a different piece of inspiration from the painting to create so many different types of artwork from collages to ceramics to papier-mâché and even a soundscape and stories and poetry.

"It's wonderful to see them so inspired."

The projects will be on display until the end of the summer holidays and The National Gallery will choose whether the works go on display at the gallery itself in October for the work to be displayed with other primary school works from around the country next summer.

Ten-year-old pupils Vivienne and Lydia took creating artworks from the leaves as inspiration creating their own colours to bring the project to life. They said: "We brought in our own leaves to sketch and then we made the colours ourselves for the final design as well. It was a really fun project and we were really proud that it would be on display at an exhibition throughout the summer in the library but to have people from the National Gallery come and have a look is fantastic."

Eight-year-olds Jessica and Darra took a different approach to the project creating haikus and even a soundscape of the rain on the foilage using different instruments.

They said: "We used a piano in high octave to create the rain and the drums for thunder. It was really fun. We definitely one to take part next year!"

For six-year-old Odessa, with the rest of the Year Ones, they created an amazing picture of the tiger in different seasons as well as their own works of a tiger appearing out of the foilage.

She said: "It was really fun doing the tiger's face surrounded by leaves. I like my tiger."

A National Gallery spokesperson said: "Each year the Gallery invites primary schools nationwide to focus on one of its paintings and respond creatively, following the children’s questions and ideas. The programme aims to put art at the centre of children’s learning across the curriculum, inspiring a lifelong connection with artists’ work and with museums and galleries. By exhibiting a selection of the work produced, the programme also provides a platform for celebrating children’s work and for fostering a sense of belonging in the Gallery."