Bhubaneswar, Dec. 12: Artworks by schoolchildren from all over the world were displayed at the state's biggest exhibition for child artists, Shilpi Divas, which concluded here today.

More than 2,000 artworks of myriad themes, vibrant use of colours, fine detailing and the use of various media including acrylic, watercolour and crayons and sketching among others were a visual treat for the visitors.

The artworks included mostly posters, drawings and sketches. The paintings portrayed various social messages such as planting trees, saving the environment, acting against violence on women and so on.

Apart from social messages, many of the budding artists created artworks on Lord Jagannath and other gods and goddesses. A number of kids chose to paint Lord Buddha in various positions.

Some other interesting themes were scenes from rural life and abstract works on various topics ranging from urbanisation, dance forms, and nature. Flora and fauna and heritage monuments from the country caught the fancy of a number of young artists.

Hosted annually by Odisha Modern Art Gallery with support from the ministry of culture, the exhibition aimed to give young artists an opportunity to interact with veterans. The five-day event hosted on the grounds of the Khadi and Village Industries office, witnessed 20 senior artists - 12 from Odisha and eight from outside - painting their imaginations on canvas.

Artist Sunita Verma from Chhattisgarh said she had a great time at the art camp. "I got to meet the new generation artists and get to know about their thought process. I got a lot of energy seeing their passion and enthusiasm for art," said Verma.

Senior artist Gouranga Bariki created an artwork that had a lot of detailing. "A number of young artists are interested in taking up art as a profession. They had a lot of queries and interacting with them was a wonderful experience. They were also interested in recent trends in the field," said Bariki.

"We wanted budding artists to pick up skills by encouraging discussions with senior artists," said gallery founder Tarakanta Parida.

About 200 entries to the event had come in from eight countries while over 500 artworks were from outside Odisha. Around 120 paintings selected from the lot were awarded. The Shilpi Divas awards were conferred on Adwaita Gadanayak, who was recently appointed director of the National Gallery of Modern Art, and senior sculptor Kalpataru Maharana.

"The works of the child artists are fascinating. I came here with my child so that he could see the paintings made by other artists and take interest in art," said Asha Mishra, mother of a 12-year-old boy.