Arts Diary: Getting to finals is child's play.

CHESTER artist Lesley Halliwell has reached the finals of a national drawing competition -using a child's classic drawing toy.

Her use of a Spirograph -a toy that uses calibrated wheels to create patterns -impressed judges in the PizzaExpress Prospects contest.

She is just one of 23 artists from an entry of over 1,000 to be selected for showing at a London gallery next month.

She stands to win pounds 10,000 ifher work titled Large Red Circle, 2054Minutes,below , wins the competition.

She used the toy and a red ball-point pen to create on canvas a design which became a solid circular shape measuring 250 cms by 300 cms.

The piece took its name from the length of time she worked on it, 2054 minutes or 34 hours and 23 minutes.

``Creative child's play was the inspiration behind this piece and interest in nostalgia, patterns and decoration,'' says Ms Halliwell, 38.

She is a part-time lecturer at Chester University College.

Meanwhile,Bryan Biggs,director of Liverpool's Bluecoat Arts Centre,has been honoured in another drawing competition.

His work Liverpool Portfolio of Measured Drawings was awarded third prize in the annual Jerwood Drawing Prize.