Visual Arts

The Artist’s Journey

My body of work is titled Its Farshun Darlink. My inspiration came from my love of fashion photography and my desire to work in the fashion industry. This interest informed the physical and visual qualities of my work as I reference Instagram in the larger three panels and the production of a coffee table book which includes quotes from high end fashion designers. I wanted to explore the manipulation of the fashion image through the use of lighting, digital editing and carefully stylised compositions to show how the images of “reality” are manufactured. To create my work, I had over 30 photographic sessions with my models, both in the studio and at outside locations. I also took close to 1000 pictures each session which took a lot of time to decide, edit and curate my desired final images. I decided to capture the ideas of luxury and elegance through the style of fashion photography, as well as showcasing the artificiality of perfection. My body of work is a playful nod and a wink to our social media age when everyone is the artistic director of their own life. Paris Jones Year 12

In Year 11 I decided to experiment with portraiture on large canvases, finding that I really enjoyed the style and the impact that the large scale of the painting produced. During one of our lessons my teacher showed us a video on Kathrin Longhurst and her paintings. I instantly fell in love with her style and concept. I drew inspiration from her art, crafting my work around successful females in their chosen male dominated professions. I undertook a great deal of research so that I could celebrate females from across different career pathways and throughout history. I found many inspirational women and chose five who really resonated with me. Originally, I worked in acrylic but then I began to experiment with oil paint as I wanted a medium that would allow me to create a smooth blend and a realistic appearance. One challenge in using oil is that it can take years to fully dry which made putting frames on and transporting them a major problem. It is amazing to see the Body of Work come together and it has inspired me to continue to work on and improve my painting techniques even more. Brianna Lollback Year 12

As an art student, I have always been attracted to colour and knew I wanted to implement this appreciation into my HSC Body of Work. I began researching heavily with assistance from Mrs Jongsma until I finally decided on abstracting the works of famous Rococo paintings that typified the 18th century. These paintings placed great emphasis on ‘perfection’ within all aspects of society and challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and play with abstract elements that I wasn’t familiar with prior to the commencement of the year. I experimented a lot in the early stages, struggling to mimic the elegance and levity of the original paintings, I found that by loosening my brush strokes and diversifying my colour palette, I was able to create works that allowed viewers to experience the same sentiments of those of the original work. Ultimately, through this trial-and-error process I was able to gain much greater confidence in abstract painting, a skill that I will utilise in my future artistic endeavours. Camilla Winterton Year 12

A nation of a billion souls, ancient culture, and varied natural landforms homes a plethora of rich characteristics that inspire feelings of pride, eternal-attachment, and confrontation. My vision of portraying a diverse version of my ancestral home, India, that I carry within myself, culminated in a series of distinct wheel-thrown clay pots that act as an authentic teaser to the country. My 12-month artistic journey was an enriching learning experience. It entailed throwing a series of similarly shaped vessels to represent a distinct region of India, kiln-firing them, glazing them, and finally selecting the most refined pieces. Repeating this process until I was sufficiently skilled and satiated with my work, my final set of refined vessels held information inherent to each selected Indian region. However, the clay medium is quite unpredictable, and my planning was varied by different kiln-firing and clay-drying times. Additionally, producing the Arabic, Odia and Ancient Tamil inscriptions on my vessels demanded extensive practise and research, and some vessels cracked in the kiln, frustrating my flow, but not my determination. Hence, ‘The Gift of India’ was a manifestation of a strong process of which experimentation was its forte. Looking ahead, I aim to continue to finesse my artistic skills which can kickstart a pottery business. After all, art is a conduit for the artist to express their deepest passions and global concerns, and a suppression of the creative mind translates to an imprisonment of pure emotions and visions. Aryan Sethi Year 12

I hope you have enjoyed this insight into the artist’s journey experienced by some of our Year 12 Art students. I am thrilled to announce that this year the Eckersley’s Peer’ Choice Award has been awarded to Talia Curnow for her series of drawings “A Trilogy of Fables”

Tara Jongsma Head of Visual Arts Scan the code to view The 2021 Visual Arts HSC online exhibition.