VIVID colours, a creative use of texture and textiles, plus a wealth of mixed media and reflective self portraits made up the Pewsey Vale School's 2019 summer exhibition of GCSE art and textiles.

The exhibition on Friday, June 7, at Pewsey Vale School's art department was divided into a gallery of mainly artworks featuring self-portraits, illustrations and prints, with a second gallery of largely textile designs.

Student Emily Catlin, 16, said her portrait of a friend rendered in fine detail with coloured pencil onto a marbled background combined two techniques as she had randomly created the background using oil and inks on paper until she found a composition she was happy with. Her artworks were typical on the exhibition in the use of mixed media and unconventional methods to create unique images.

The show was admired by residents, parents and visitors such as Pewsey architect Mike Fowler who said it was an impressive exhibition.

A supporter of the school Caroline Dalrymple said: "The school is incredibly lucky to have Nina Slater as their head of art. She loves her pupils and inspires them as you can see here."

Bev McNeil said she would be holding an exhibition of some of the work on show in her Market Place studio on September 13. Her eye was caught by a textile created by Jessica Blundell that used sheer organza mounted on a frame with a backdrop of a map of the London Underground and figures in black thread machine stitched by hand.

Student Ella White, 16, said: "With my self portrait I wanted to focus on the eyes and I find them fascinating. In contrast the background is a brick wall with its strong orange brick texture."

She had used a lino cut to repeat print a floral design to create a second artwork on display. One universal aspect of the work were the scrapbooks and reference files to show the thought processes and idea developments neatly laid out and on display.

Trainee teacher Alice Saunders, 25, has spent the last year working with Nina Slater and learning the business of teaching.

She said: "I've loved it here. I think the most most important thing I've learnt is to communicate with the students and I think you get what you put in."

Alice will be moving to her first full time job at St Edmund's Girls' School, an all-girls secondary school with academy status in Laverstock, near Salisbury in September.

Some of the students had seen their work taken to Parliament in London for an exhibition earlier this year demonstrating the growing reputation of the school's art department.

One of those students whose work was in the show in London was that of Eveny Chambers. Her reflective acrylic on canvas self portrait showed a maturity of composition and a creativity that was the hallmark of the Pewsey show.