A GCSE student has wowed art judges to win a prestigious competition.
Beth Jackson, in year 11 at Hartford CofE High School, recently won the Sovereign Art Students Foundation Prize at Chester Cathedral.
For her acrylic painting, entitled 'Yearning', the 16-year-old took home the Judges' Prize, earning £800 for herself and £2,000 for the school's art department.
The Sovereign Art Foundation, established in 2003, celebrates artists and raises funds for programmes which use art to make a difference.
Beth said: "I wasn't expecting it and felt lucky because there was so many beautiful pieces alongside mine.
"I am very grateful to have won the award and it makes me proud to be an artist.
"Art has always been a huge part of my life and a way of expressing my emotions, even when words can't."
Speaking of her winning painting, Beth said: "It is based on two original characters I imagined while walking home from school last year.
"My idea was the boy is revisiting a memory of a girl he once knew. She has moved on in life, but he has been left behind and can't really let his memory of her go."
Beth's art teacher Andrea Sadler nominated her for the competition and has encouraged her throughout her studies.
She added: "Miss Sadler, has really inspired me. She nominated me in the first place and has always encouraged me to be creative and to be confident in what I can do."
After sitting her upcoming GCSEs, Beth plans to take A-level art at Sir John Deane's Sixth Form College and hopes to pursue a career which 'prioritises creativity'.
Miss Sadler, the school's head of art, said: "I am absolutely thrilled for Beth. I love her work and her style, her use of colour is beautiful."
"She has consistently worked hard during her GCSE art course and lives and breathes the subject.
"Beth's painting is truly representative of her as a person and how she thinks and sees the world, not to mention her painting skills which are very mature for her age and have been developed over time through hard work and dedication.
"The prize fund will be an amazing boost for the department and will allow us to support other students like Beth who love art.
"Beth is permanent fixture in the art department We will miss her when she moves on to college."
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