Royal Society for Blind Children Crowns King’s Art Competition Winners

The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) competition, in celebration of the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, was open to blind and partially sighted children and young people.

Vision impaired children and young people of all ages submitted paintings, drawings and models of, castles, crowns and His Majesty.

All the entries are being made into a Coronation Collage which will be shared with His Majesty. A
copy will also be displayed at the charity’s HQ.

The RSBC secured an impressive line-up of judges for the competition including celebrated artist Henry Fraser who paints with his mouth. He has been paralysed from the shoulders down since 2009.

Sue Sharp, CEO of RSBC based at the charity’s HQ in London at the Life Without Limits Centre said: “We’re delighted with all the creativity around the Coronation!

“Big thanks to all our judges Henry Fraser, Catherine Shearn and Wendy Daws. Henry is an outstanding example of someone who lives his life without limits.

“We would like to say a huge congratulations to everyone who entered, and especially to our winners who will each receive a gift voucher to spend on arts and crafts.”

The winners are:

Oscar, age 5 for his handmade crown
Cody, age 5 for his image of His Majesty the King
Jacob, age 15 from West London for his castle sculpture
Tina, age 25 from South London for her abstract technicolour piece

Talking about how they felt about being named a winner

Cody said: “Yay! That’s great!”
Oscar said: “Wow! That’s brilliant!”
Jacob said: “Thank you so much that’s amazing! I can’t believe it!”
Tina took to email: “Thatss great, thank you so much!  I am so happy right now!”

The judges were so impressed the by the entries that they also awarded “Special Commendations” to five other entrants who will each receive a certificate:

Abdur, age 6 from Yorkshire
Skanda, age 15 who submitted her entry from India
Agatha, age 12, from Lancashire
Emily, age 25 from South Yorkshire and Mazharul, age 25 from London

Commenting on the entries Henry Fraser, an accomplished artist, author and inspirational speaker said:

“I really enjoyed looking at everything. There really are some talented people in these groups.”

Catherine Shearn, art curator and member of the Association of Women in the Arts, added:

“For me, it was especially rewarding to see the potential amongst these young
people, who had clearly enjoyed the challenge, and will hopefully continue their
artistic journey. It was really hard to pick a winner, and I want to congratulate
everyone who participated on their contribution!”

Wendy Daws, an accomplished artist and sculptor who works extensively with
vision impaired people said:

“All the artists deserve recognition for their imagination and exciting contributions to the RSBC competition. They have all demonstrated that sight loss is not a boundary to creativity!”

The winners each scooped £50 to spend on art supplies.

The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) supports blind and partially sighted children and young people, and their families. The charity was founded by Thomas Lucas in 1838 to teach blind children to read.

Whilst education and learning remain at its heart, RSBC also offers a range of community based services and has established a dedicated families’ service – Families First – to support the whole family.

It is the only national charity focused solely on vision impaired children and
young people aged up to 25 years.

There are an estimated 37,000 blind and partially sighted children and young
people in England and Wales.

Every day, four more children will be diagnosed with sight loss.

Art Competition Judges

Henry Fraser : Henry is an accomplished mouth-painter. His first solo exhibition, Hand-to-Mouth, took place in July 2016. Henry is also author of The Little Big Things – A young man’s belief that every day can be a good day: a belief that is at the heart of his inspiring philosophy. His book, with a foreword by JK Rowling, combines hiswisdom and insight into finding the gifts in life’s challenges. www.henryfraserart.com

Catherine Shearn : Catherine is an Art Advisor and Curator. In 2000 she established a contemporary art gallery in Shoreditch, which she ran for ten years. An active member of the Association of Women in the Arts, she volunteers regularly for the educational charity Inspiring the Future, and sits on the Charity and Education committees of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars.

Wendy Daws: Wendy is an artist and sculptor whose work takes inspiration from the visually impaired communities with whom she has worked for almost twenty years. In 2017, Wendy established MESS ROOM as an inclusive studio space which echoes Wendy’s ambitions for the inclusivity, access and belonging she demonstrates in her own practice. She is also a Volunteer and Arts Ambassador for Kent Association for the Blind. www.wendydaws.co.uk

Royal Society for Blind Children is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (139928) and a charity registered in England and Wales
(307892)