THOUSANDS of children are adding a vibrant splash of colour to their home-schooling experience by taking part in free online art classes.
North coast artist Adrian Margey is running painting demonstrations on his Facebook page every Friday.
Word has spread quickly among parents and teachers eager to get their children involved.
The most recent tutorial was viewed more than 12,000 times.
Known for his contemporary depictions of Irish landscapes, landmarks and musical traditions, Mr Margey will continue to demonstrate his different styles and varying techniques in the coming weeks.
So far, he has walked viewers through the creation of one of his works on Dunluce Castle and given young people an insight into using a limited palette of colours to portray Mussenden Temple near Castlerock.
"I was due to deliver a shared education workshop a couple of weeks ago, just as the schools were closing," Mr Margey said.
"It got me thinking about home-schooling and all the parents out there who would be struggling to think of ways of continuing to inspire and stimulate young minds at this distressing time.
"I figured one way that I could help would be to deliver a few online painting demonstrations via my Facebook page. The idea of a virtual Friday Art Class was born."
Mr Margey said much of his work is concerned with the theme of place.
"I paint the places that are special to me and special to others. As I explain to the kids, at a time like this, when our movements are curtailed and we can't go out and visit our favourite places, we can transport ourselves to those places by painting them," he said.
Mr Margey added that there was a need to give school children a sense of connection and shared experience during these unusual times when many may be feeling isolated.
To give pupils something to look forward to, he is encouraging those who join his Friday Art Class to take part in a collaborative project.
Participants will work on individual paintings of their favourite places on hexagonal shapes pieces of card.
He hopes that when the coronavirus passes, these will be pieced together to create one large art piece for public display.
:: The next Friday Art Class will be at 10am on April 10 on the Adrian Margey Art Facebook page. The previous weeks' classes can also be replayed on Facebook YouTube.
