Fen-tastic first art exhibition for Doddington boy Nathenael Wilson, eight

Doddington-based Nathanael Wilson has just turned eight years old, but he has always had a passion for drawing and painting.

He produced a 3ft x 3ft mixed media canvas over several months when he was just 21⁄2 as a surprise for his dad’s 50th birthday.

Now The Friends of Chatteris Library (FROLIC) have invited Nathanael to show a little of his work in his first public exhibition. And so 14 artworks can be viewed by visitors to Chatteris Library until the end of November 2018.

The drawings and paintings show just some of Nathanael’s varied interests which range from nature, such as bugs, animals, and sea-life, to how the body works, science, engineering and technical drawing.

There is also a wonderful painting of the Blitz, produced in mixed media, and also a picture called 'The Smoke Dragon' which is drawn in charcoal that Nathanael made in a woodland crafts workshop.

Nathanael says he loves “designing” and often gets excited about a new idea for an insect or a dragon or a submarine or a rocket – the list goes on.

He then puts his ideas down on paper and quickly moves on to the next thing that fascinates him.

Nathanael also likes to experiment with making things out of plasticine, Blu-tack and Lego and often comes up with interesting things based on what he has seen or read or done.

His parents, Syrah Arnold and Christian Wilson, said they love watching his creativity in action and these images are just a very small selection of his creations produced between four years and seven years of age.

His mother, an artist herself and co-ordinator for Fenland Community Arts, added “He is very spontaneous with his drawings but he is also showing an increasing confidence with his line and colour work. His designs are always well thought out and often he will talk afterwards about how

craft in his pictures would work, what fuel and different capacities."

FROLIC hope library visitors will enjoy Nathanael’s work. FROLIC are also looking for new volunteers to help with their work supporting the library; anyone interested in this should speak to a member of staff at the library.