Beautiful Beltie Wins Spring Fling National Poster Competition

Top entries now on show at Gracefield Arts Centre

A delightful drawing of a Belted Galloway cow by a talented six-year-old schoolgirl has won the Spring Fling poster competition.

The picture by Naomi McCreath, of Primary 2 at Carsphairn Primary School, is now being used all over the country to promote Scotland’s premier visual art and craft open studios event which takes place from 24-26 May.

The two runners up were Lewis Saunderson from Crossmichael and Nathan Gibson from Heathhall. There were also 19 winners of individual school prizes.

All the winning entries are now on display at the Gracefield Art Centre in Dumfries, where the Spring Fling @ Home exhibition is underway.

Leah Black, Spring Fling Director, said: “The competition was really popular with over 230 entries from 20 primary schools across the region. There were some really lovely pictures and it was very hard to decide on winners.

“We chose Naomi’s picture in the end because it’s really bright and lots of fun – and because belties are such a distinctive symbol of the region. I would like to thank everyone who took part and congratulate them on the great work they produced.

“We are grateful to Lesley Sloan at Education Services who did all the liaison with the schools and whose department co-ordinated and funded the creation of an educational film by artist Ailsa Black which was used to inspire the young people.”

The theme of the competition was What Dumfries and Galloway means to me. Some 300 copies of the winning picture have been turned into posters and are being distributed across the UK as the official poster for Spring Fling 2014.

Councillor Jeff Leaver, Chair of the Council’s Education Committee, said: “It’s great to involve young people in the cultural life of the region at an early age. Dumfries and Galloway is brimming with artistic talent. I hope that some of the young artists have been sufficiently inspired to become our future Spring Fling artists or visitors.”

First prize was £100 for the winner and £200 for their school and the runners up received £50 each plus £100 for their school.

The competition was supported by the Archie Sutter Watt Trust, which was set up in memory of the famous and well-loved Galloway artist.

Hazel Campbell, one of the trustees, said: “The poster competition has been one of the most fun things we have done! There was such a positive response from the primary schools. Archie Sutter Watt was dedicated to developing the visual arts in our region and would have really enjoyed seeing so many young people being inspired to use their artistic skills to create pictures showing what Dumfries and Galloway means to them.”

The competition was run by Spring Fling in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council Education Services and The Archie Sutter Watt Trust.

All the winning posters can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/spring_fling/sets/72157640539821825/