Two schoolgirls have been handed the honour of having their LS Lowry-inspired painting displayed in the artist’s dedicated gallery in Salford.
Best friends Philippa Radicke, 9, and 10-year-old Sasha Kuczer created Down the Alleyway on a school trip to The Lowry on Salford Quays.
Gallery staff thought it was so good, they entered it into the Copley Prize, a national art competition which celebrates work inspired by the legendary painter.
And the girls were stunned when their artwork was judged the overall winner by Michael Simpson, Director of Visual Arts and Engagement at The Lowry, and Alison Copley, who founded the competition with her husband Noel.
Down the Alleyway will now go on show in The Lowry galleries for one full year.
Their work is now on display alongside Lowry ‘classics’ such as Man Lying on a Wall, Going to the Match and Coming from the Mill in The Lowry’s permanent LS Lowry exhibition, LS Lowry: The Art & The Artist.
The budding artists are not sure whether they will make their passion for art into a future career.
Philippa said: “My mum is a photographer so she might pass that on to me.”
Today, Philippa and Sasha said; “We are really excited to see our work in The Lowry’s galleries for everyone to see.
Michael Simpson, Director of Visual Art and Engagement at The Lowry, said: “Philippa’s and Sasha’s piece Down the Alleyway really did stand out! The young artists used a number of different techniques and produced a picture full of atmosphere.
“The Lowry is delighted to be displaying their work in our galleries alongside our famous collection of Lowry’s paintings and drawings.”
The Copley Prize was founded in 2013 by Noel and Alison Copley. It is open to all primary school children, aged 4-11 years old, attending The Lowry Galleries as part of a school group.
