Visitors at the art exhibition in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, July 13: The artistic brilliance of eight tiny tots and their wandering creative imagination took the form of innovative shapes and colours at the Art Heart exhibition held at Orissa Modern Art Gallery last week.

One hundred and twenty magnificent paintings of green lush meadows with a village backdrop, vibrant flora and fauna, marine life, city chaos, global warming and abstract art were on display.

Dashes and splashes of colours smeared on the canvas by the young artists formed contours of picturesque nature and silhouettes of human figurines.

Encouraging the young creative geniuses and their ingenuous efforts, gallery director and painter Tarakant Parida said: “We realised that there are several child artists in the state whose talent needs to be recognised and nurtured. Starting from this month we will showcase artistic talents of several other children with an artistic bent every month.”

It was a moment of delight for all the eight wonders to see their artworks on display.

Rishab Panda, a student of Class III who amazed the visitors with his marvellous pen and ink artwork on animals and birds, said: “I love to draw. I feel I can express my feelings easily through my painting.”

For nine-year old Srutee Mohapatra, it was difficult to hold back her excitement after receiving immense appreciation from the visitors.

“I love going to school and it is the garden area of the school, I love the most. It is bright and lovely with different colourful flowers blooming everywhere. I thought of showing the whole world through my painting how beautiful my school is,” said Srutee.

Comedian Pappu Pom Pom was seen at the gallery cheering the young artists and boosting their confidence. The dexterity with which these young artists have painted amazed aficionados and established artists alike.

“I sincerely appreciate the efforts of Orissa Modern Art Gallery. I am mesmerised to see such a collection of artworks under one roof. I must say, all these eight children will grow up to become fine artists in future,” said Anubhav Pattanaik, an art enthusiast.

The monthly Art Heart exhibition will come to a close with a national level child art festival that will be held during the Shilpi Divas celebrations in December. Children below 15 years can participate in the exhibition, the registration for which has begun from July 1 and will continue till September 5.