Graffwerk street artist Wing Lo spent three days creating the vibrant artwork on a wall at Queensmead Primary Academy this month.
The mural, which features animals chosen by pupils - a fox, ladybird, deer, bee, and hedgehog - was the reward for the creative talents of Year 6 pupil Yasmine Mohammed. Yasmine was one of almost 60 entrants into the Wild Art Competition, and her eye-level encounter with a hedgehog was judged to be the best of the bunch.
The mural created by Wing Lo at Queensmead Primary Academy
Rebecca Catlow, Yasmine’s teacher, said: “We are blown away by the fantastic mural that Yasmine won for the school with her brilliant drawing. We asked the children to pick their favourite animals and Wing has done a fantastic job bringing them to life.
“The mural will have pride of place in the school playground, and it can also be seen from the street outside, so we hope that the local community will enjoy it as well. We are very grateful to Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and Graffwerk for this amazing artwork, and we are so proud of Yasmine and all the pupils who entered the competition.”
Izzy Hoskins of Graffwerk, the team behind Leicester’s Bring the Paint Festival, said: “It's been great seeing the participation from the schools in this project. We hope Yasmin is pleased with the artwork we delivered and that this will inspire more children to enjoy both art and nature.”
“We would like to thank the players of People’s Postcode Lottery who made this competition possible through their support for our Wild Forest School project.”Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
The top three prize winners were:
The judges were so impressed with the quality of entries that they also selected four ‘Commended’ pieces.
Each of the top three winners received a set of art materials as well as a prize for their school. Evington Valley Primary School won a wildlife-themed chainsaw sculpture whilst Medway Community Primary School won a bumper pack of art materials for the winner’s class.
Jamie Perry, Head of Engagement for Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, sat on the judging panel. He said: “We are so pleased to have been able to give these amazing prizes to the winners of our Wild Art Competition. Wing Lo’s mural at Queensmead Primary Academy is simply stunning, and we hope that it inspires pupils to develop a love for UK wildlife and show off their own creative talents.
Visit www.wildforestschool.org.uk/wild-art to see the timelapse video of the mural at Queensmead Primary Academy, as well as an exhibition of all the Wild Art Competition entries.
