Portadown P1 pupil has artwork accepted for prestigious exhibition – Armagh I

Emily Trueman, aged 5

A five-year-old pupil at Bocombra Primary School in Portadown has had her painting accepted for a prestigious UK-wide exhibition.

Budding artist, Emily Trueman, who is in Primary One, will have her artwork entitled Birdsong, shown online for the 2026 Royal Academy Young Artists’ Summer Show.

The highly-selective show which focuses on works from those aged four to eighteen received more than 25,000 submissions this year.

Under 5% of submissions are chosen for the display at the RA, with more showcased on the online gallery from Wednesday 8 July.

Emily’s painting was completed in acrylic and features a bird on a branch on a dark pink background.

She had to submit a short statement to accompany the artwork to explain what inspired her.

It reads: “This bird is singing in the rain on a tree branch. Even though Spring is here, it is still raining. And he is still happy which is why there are hearts.”

Emily’s creativity and love of painting has been encouraged by mum Laura who is a part-time artist.

“Emily has been able to sit with me for hours painting since she was very young,” Laura said.

“She really enjoys painting and crafting and definitely has a talent for it.

“She created this from her head and when I saw it I loved it and decided it was the one to submit to the RA.

“It is very difficult to get into, so we weren’t expecting any success, but we are all delighted.”

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