ALTON Assembly Rooms was filled with paintings, ceramics, textiles and jewellery last week for Alton Art Society’s 87th exhibition.

There was an adult section of more than 200 paintings on display while the children had their own exhibition, sponsored by Spire.

The exhibition, opened at a special preview evening by Surrey artist Denise Jaques, showcased the work of talented amateur artists inspired by the countryside, the town, the beach and sea, wild flowers, animals and comic subjects.

Not to be outdone the children filled the stage with their exhibition and showed a lot of imagination in the subjects they chose – from space rockets to garden birds and ice cream.

There were also some incredible collage’s, especially the luminous bees on a shimmering blue background by Busy Bees Nursery School.

Also on display was an array of art, quilling work, and inventive fields of tents, from the Butts School children, contrasting to different aspects of Kandinsky’s art from Wootey Infants and Medstead Primary School, with work done in every type of medium.

Entry was free and after enjoying the exhibition visitors were invited to vote for their favourite artist.

It was a hard decision to make as, according to society chairman and exhibition secretary, Kaye Garrett, there were a larger number of paintings submitted this year, and the standard was very high.

Over 500 votes were cast, with the Jack Riviere Trophy going to the winner, Marie Barker for her painting, ‘Stormy skies – St Ives Harbour’.

Runner-up was Jenny Kennish with ‘Apple Blossom’, while there was a tie for third place with Adrian Bone (All Saints Church), Mike Downs (Sunset over Burton Bradstock), Susan Gardner (Goat with Attitude), and Debbie Todd (Ruminations) receiving equal votes.

Mrs Garrett said: “Artists and art have been thriving in Alton for a long time as the first exhibition in the town was opened by Lord Baden Powell and he was also to become the chairman of the art society which was founded in 1923.”

Children’s exhibition prize winners:

Pre-School – David Jusko (Bushy Leaze Nursery).

Year R-Year 1: 1 Dylan Chivers (Year 1, Four Marks) Bird on Branch.

Year 2-3: 1 Alex McCandlish (Year 2, St Mary’s) Cat In The Hat.

Year 7-8: 1 Dominic Chandler (Year 8, Treloar) Crushed Coke Cans.

Year 9-11: Sam Fifield, Monkey Close Up (also awarded a year’s membership of Alton Art Society).

Group Work: 1 Busy Bees St Lawrence Pre-School, Rumble in the Jungle.

Craft Group: 1 Red Group (Year 6, Four Marks) Tiles.

Individual Class: Lily Day, Ceramic face.

Textile: 1 Kyran Levey (Year 5m, The Butts).