2013 Catalogue: ArtNOW and Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art

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ArtNow Pinnacles Gallery 7 September - 29 September 2013

PUBLISHER

Gallery Services, Townsville City Council PO Box 1268 Townsville, Queensland 4810 Australia pinnacles@townsville.qld.gov.au +61 7 4773 8871 © Gallery Services, Townsville City Council and the authors 2013 Exhibition organised by GALLERY SERVICES Shane Fitzgerald Manager Gallery Services Eric Nash Curator Gallery Services Sarah Welch Exhibitions and Collections Coordinator Michael Pope Education and Programs Coordinator Rob Donaldson Digital Media and Design Coordinator Jo Stacey Team Leader Administration Gallery Services Leah McManus Exhibitions Officer Holly Grech-Fitzgerald Collections Management Officer Nic Horton Education and Programs Officer Tegan Ollett Education and Programs Assistant Carly Sheil Digital Media and Exhibition Design Officer Gillian Ribbins Administration Officer Wendy Bainbridge Administration Officer Danielle Berry Arts Administration Trainee Breanna Capell Gallery Assistant Michelle Littman Gallery Assistant Pinnacles Gallery 20 Village Blvd, Townsville QLD 4817 07 4773 8871 pinnacles@townsville.qld.gov.au www.bit.ly/pinntcc @TCC_Pinnacles /PinnaclesTCC @PinnaclesTCC Opening Hours Tuesday - Sunday: 10am - 5pm Monday Closed

Published on the occasion of the exhibition

ArtNow Pinnacles Gallery 7 September - 29 September 2013

Registration team

Michael Pope / Nic Horton / Tegan Ollett / Leah McManus

Publication design and development

Carly Sheil / Michael Pope / Nic Horton / Tegan Ollett Typeset in 7 - 12pt Droid Serif (text) Edo (title and headings) Photography: All photography by school staff and students

Gallery acknowledgements

Gallery Services would like to acknowledge the generous support and assistance of Townsville City Council in realising this exhibition.

A special thankyou to Melinda Gould, Regional Coordinator for Creative Generation. Thanks also to all participating schools, teachers and students: • All Souls & St Gabriels School (Charters Towers) • Bowen State High School (Bowen) • Columba Catholic College (Charters Towers) • Kirwan State High School (Townsville) • Northern Beaches State High School (Townsville) • Pimlico State High School (Townsville) • St Patrick’s College (Townsville) • The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James (Townsville) • Townsville State High School (Townsville) • William Ross State High School (Townsville)

Artnow ArtNOW is a student exhibition which is delivered as part of Gallery Services’ Creative Classrooms Program. Gallery Services collaborates with educators within the North Queensland Region, the Queensland Art Teachers Association (QATA) and Senior secondary students to create this annual student exhibition.

The exhibition is open to all Senior students across Authority and Non-Authority subjects in any Creative Studies strand, and academic scores are not taken into account for submissions. Further, ArtNOW recognises that artists work in different ways and the idea of what constitutes art is expanding. New art is now created using non-traditional materials and mediums; concepts and ways of working are changing as well. To this end, ArtNOW places no restrictions on subject matter or mediums and is inclusive of all art forms. In this way, student creativity is encouraged without compromising or influencing the artist.

In delivering ArtNOW, Gallery Services recognises that art is essential to a holistic education. Students who study Visual Art develop self-discipline, self-esteem, teamwork, communication, cooperation and the intellectual skills required to think creatively and succeed in our changing society. Students also learn the connection between study, hard work and achievement, and develop technical skills enabling growth, both artistically and personally.

Exhibitions like ArtNOW are important transitions for students into the adult world and give them real world experiences outside of the classroom. For many students, this exhibition represents a milestone from being a student artist to starting a journey as a practicing artist. Students have learned how to submit work for exhibitions, prepare artwork for display and most importantly, how to articulate and explain their concepts and process. These are all important skills required within the arts sector.

Visual Art creates pathways to future employment for students across all industries, not just the creative industries. Workers in the post-industrial society need to be creative thinkers and problem solvers. The creative-thinking individuals that Visual Art produces engage with problems to imagine the world as it might be. Visual Art students are employable in any sector as it is their creative thinking combined with the discipline and work ethic that Visual Art instils that makes them so.

There was a massive response from students this year for ArtNOW with over 60 students submitting and exhibiting their artwork. Gallery Services is delighted to work with and champion North Queensland’s creative generation. We wish them well for their future careers and value the experience that we have been able to afford them.

We hope you enjoy this year’s instalment of ArtNOW and appreciate, as we do, the wealth of talent that we have within our region.

Michael Pope Education and Programs Coordinator Gallery Services

Kasey BOJAK All Souls and St Gabriels School

Country girl [detail] Mixed media

2013

Part of my identity includes the animals and people around me that influence the person that I continue to evolve into. The posters and quotes express how I feel and my inner thoughts. The pictures of my mate and his mum are special to me because they both play an inspirational part in my life.

Jess CUTLER

All Souls and St Gabriels School

Self-portrait [detail]

2013

Mixed media

Self-portrait symbolically depicts my personality: the motif of the lion represents strength and confidence.

Yellow, red and black portray my cultural background as an Aboriginal.

I joined the lion’s mane into song lyrics that suggest if you fail the first time, it does not mean you can’t get up and try again.

Metzli SPENCE

All Souls and St Gabriels School

Island girl [detail]

2013

Mixed media

Being of Papua New Guinean descent I was inspired by my country and the bird of paradise as a motif for people and clans, particularly my people, the Drongo clan. The birds’ wings with feathers are part of cultural dancing and the feathers were also used as head wear. The pearl jewellery represents the beauty of my personality on the island.

Mitzi ANNAND

Bowen State High School

Born with a silver spoon [detail] 2013 Collage with graphite drawings

The saying ‘born with a silver spoon’ is supposed to mean that those born into a wealthy family have more opportunities to succeed in life, but is this really true today? This artwork represents my belief that today success does not rely on what a person is given in life, but what lies within them.

Mereoni FOSTER

Bowen State High School

Cuts and bruises [detail]

2013

Charcoal on collaged children’s book pages

As a foster child I am emotional about the care of children and how sometimes the power and control of guardians can lead to child abuse. The background is Encyclopaedia pages and ABC letters cut from golden books to represent the child’s interests. The faded, charcoal hand symbolises the bruises and marks left on an abused child.

Rebecca MALE

Bowen State High School

My day in colour [detail]

2013

Watercolour, collage, canvas, wire, swivels and nails

This artwork is about a woman’s hormonal level changing vigorously. I have expressed my emotions as a young teenager, represented by a spectrum of different colours. As a teenager, we go through several different emotions each and every day, which affect our mood and how we act.

Shaniah POWER

Bowen State High School

Hope is an illusion [detail]

2013

Collage and acrylic

My artwork explores how babies are seemingly born with all the hope in the world - but it’s really despair in disguise. The baby with the blue eyes and smile represents the innocence and hope for their future, yet little do they know that their lives are being controlled.

Jessica SHERESTON Bowen State High School

Victim [detail]

2013

Ink and watercolour pencil on collaged background

This artwork explores the most brutal form of control someone can have over another - rape. It represents the rape of a young girl (cherry), a boy (banana) and the mother (strawberry). The fruit portrays the aftermath where the victims are bruised and crushed and symbolises how often rape is ignored, hard to prove, and uncared for.

Riley SMITH

Bowen State High School

Perfect female blueprint [detail] 2013 Collage, monoprints and metal leaf

As a young woman in today’s society, the pressure of dress standard does not impact on day to day life, however in the past the pressure from society was exhausting. These six collages represent the ideologies and social standards of particular eras and what was seen as the perfect female blueprint.

Brook JURSS

Columbia Catholic College

Tea for tranquillity [detail]

2013

Photography

As a young woman drinks tea in a calm solitude amidst the lapping shore, she feels an overwhelming sense of serenity trickle through her body and spirit. This photographic diptych is inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and captures a dreamlike scene in a completely harmonised world - evoking a sense of peace.

Reshay ANZILIERO Kirwan State High School

Pulling the strings [detail]

2013

Ink, acrylic, cotton thread and tea

With the surrealistic representation of emotion, Pulling the strings establishes a mysterious and pleasing aspect as a set. The use of the puppet being controlled by an unknown figure illuminates the aspect of secrecy.

Society’s disdain for individuality was the central message behind the piece.

Clayton T. DOYLE Kirwan State High School

Even in youth we aspire [detail]

2013

Mixed media on canvas

My artwork focuses on my endeavour to join the Australian Military as an Air Force, Airfield Defence Guard.

The silhouetted soldier stands for the young child’s aspiration to grow into a proud adult soldier. WWI and WWII propaganda posters strongly influenced me to go for a similar approach and experiment with stencilling.

Ebony ELSTON

Kirwan State High School

Your inner animal [detail]

2013

Watercolour

Your inner animal attempts to crystalise the connection between us and our spirit animal. Our spirit animals guide us through the journey of life, giving us strength and greater connection with nature. The smaller figures draw the larger pieces together and it expresses the ways in which the wolf and the girl are similar to another.

Natalie KOENIG

Kirwan State High School

A glimpse through time [detail] 2013 Mixed media on paper

Although Japan is an advanced city, it still maintains a strong traditional sense. The Waxwing bird species has maintained its existence throughout and is a constant symbol of past and present. My work is a palimpsest reflecting history and present day that allows the viewer to glimpse back through to Japan’s rich traditional past and culture.

Claudia MATAKAIONGO Kirwan State High School

The vision [detail]

2013

Lino print and mixed media on paper

I based this painting from my own personal view of life and what culture means to the younger generation. I evoked a sense of mystery to challenge the viewer to decode clues within my artwork with the main inspiration being my family and the future of our generation. The Tongan crest is placed over the heart as a symbol of my culture.

Cherrie MCLEOD

Kirwan State High School

I have a colourful past [detail] 2013 Acrylic, texture paste and pen on canvas

I wanted to create an artwork that had different religions and backgrounds and positive views from my past life.

On the world map I wrote a past story about my life, everything from my date of birth until now. I wanted the viewers to feel the positive energy of my life.

Tamika REESE

Kirwan State High School

Death decaying [detail]

2013

Watercolour and soluble graphite on paper

I intended Death decaying to be a resemblance of Mexican skulls from the Day of the Dead. Zombies, Mexican skulls and other representations of death are a symbol of the afterlife and ‘half decomposing bodies’. The human body is a structure that decays and slowly withers away and my work explores this.

Natasha ROWE

Kirwan State High School

Frankenangel [detail]

Graphite pencil, watercolour and ink on paper

2013

Frankenangel focuses on the idea of entrapment in one’s own mind by using a means of fantasy instead of the conventional reality. My artwork explores the state of one’s mind where they perceive themselves as a monster due to bad experiences and pressures of everyday society and only they can free themselves.

Taylah TEUNIS

Kirwan State High School

Sexualisation existence in death [detail] 2013

Mixed media

My work is about the sexualisation of women in the theme of death.

Existence, or the state of living, is explored through the fact that death is opposite of the living and life. By over sensualising and sexualising women in modern society, people are drawn into a fantasy of desire and belief in dying to become beautiful and rejuvenated.

Taylar WESTON

Kirwan State High School

Two faced and not understood [detail]

2013

Watercolour and oil pastels on paper

This artwork symbolises a period in my life where I just wanted to hide my face and not be seen. I have two very different personalities and the face captures my mixed feelings. To capture people’s attention, I masked my feelings with bold, bright colours to represent positive emotions and intertwined darker colours to depict the changes in my life.

Tegan WILKEN

Kirwan State High School

Society sucks! [detail]

2013

Acrylic paint and ink on canvas

My artwork encourages the audience to consider gender issues in modern society; how they think of themselves and feel when society judges them just by the way they look. Women are depicted as being prosecuted and judged for what they wear, their hair colour and their size. God created us all differently and that difference should be embraced.

Alessandra AFONSO Northern Beaches State High School

Untitled [detail]

2013

Digital print on paper

Is he: cold and hard? Angry and defiant? Sad and suffering? Or all of the above? Can a photograph truly express what a person is feeling or what they have been through? Is this a photograph of a war hero or just a teenager playing ‘dress-up’?

What do you think?

Darrian BROWNING

Northern Beaches State High School

Reconnection/redemption [detail] 2013 Digital print on paper

Man has forgotten how to be a good guest, how to walk lightly on the Earth as its other creatures do. The obsession with money and power has changed the way people live and we have begun to dig away at the beauty of the Earth’s fragile surface for what lies beneath.

This photo is representational of one’s hope for a reconnection with nature.

Shaun McGINTY

Northern Beaches State High School

Clowning around [detail]

2013

Digital prints on paper

A person’s personality is what makes them who they are, whether it’s highly strung, animated, or laid back and chilled. Rachael, one of my good friends, is full of wackiness and creativity; clowns are funny and goofy but can sometimes scare the hell out of people - just like Rachael.

Nicole QUICK

Northern Beaches State High School

Identity [detail]

2013

Acrylic on canvas and lino prints

This piece represents the allergic reaction I have to many things in nature. It shows the EpiPen that I carry in case I have a reaction which causes anaphylactic shock. The mosquito represents the outdoors and nature as a symbol of the triggers that cause my reactions. This represents an important part of my identity.

Melissa THISTLETON

Northern Beaches State High School

Duality [detail]

2013

Digital print on paper

Looks can be deceiving. If you peel away the layers that hide us, you begin to see that we are fragile - just skin and bone. Modern times have begun to put more and more pressure on today’s teenagers; the need for acceptance and approval has taken over, and depression and anxiety have become a more prevalent and normal existence.

Mikayla BELL

Pimlico State High School

Self-portrait [detail]

2013

Acrylic on canvas

Self-portrait is a representation of the inner self embodied through a myriad of symbolism. The use of vibrant acrylic colours and attention to detail is intended to unveil qualities about myself in order to connect with others on a personal level.

Claire BIRBECK

Pimlico State High School

Rewiring [detail]

2013

Photography

My artwork tells the story of a natural site that is taken over by the overshadowing industrial world, from the photos of the installation of my nests to the placement of the nests together. This artwork is a representation of how the modern world is taking over and overshadowing the natural world.

Madison BLENHEIM Pimlico State High School

It’s ok to be different [detail]

2013

Artist book

It’s ok to be different is a fictional story aimed to grab the attention of children from 5 – 10 years of age. The illustrations throughout the book were created using coloured pencil and joined together between a hard cover with Japanese stab bind stitching.

Carly BOULTER

Pimlico State High School

Beyond the obvious [detail]

2013

Acrylic on canvas

A close up of the telling signs stemmed from mental illness, in particular anxiety and depression. The physical body language of the human face is detailed and reflects the depth of the disease. The facial recognition is associated with this pain and anguish.

Anneka CELOTTO Pimlico State High School

Nuwa [detail]

2013

Mixed media and photography

Nuwa is a sculpture of a mature green sea turtle and her young. The artwork communicates the link between turtles and their habitat, the Great Barrier Reef. My artwork focuses on personifying the reef by reference to an ancient Chinese legend which suggests that a turtle carries the world on its back.

Emma CROUL

Pimlico State High School

Fairy tale dress [detail]

2013

Wearable art

The design concept for my wearable art project was to create a piece that represented both myself and nature.

I am a calm, adventurous, nature loving being. The design for this wearable art piece was inspired by the movie Tinkerbell.

Elizabeth FOrREST Pimlico State High School

Mill Valley [detail]

2013

Film

Mill Valley is a short 30 second advertisement that promotes a new television series that focuses on a dark secret that has consumed three high school girls. The advertisement gets the audience to think about what is going to happen within the series and hints to a supernatural theme.

Edward HOOPER

Pimlico State High School

Artist’s book

2013

Paper and basil stems

The concept of this artwork is ‘the artist’s existence’ with the focus of ‘self’. This is explored in the representation of important events, aspects, places and objects in my life through an artist’s book sculpture. It signifies the possibilities of my life and the nostalgia for childhood dreams.

Laura HUNTER

Pimlico State High School

West Coast mountain sound [detail]

2013

Acrylic paint with texture medium

West Coast mountain sound pays homage to my New Zealand roots and incorporates many aspects of why I love the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. I designed this work to express to others all of the best points about the West Coast.

Jack MILNE

Pimlico State High School

Uomo [detail]

2013

Installation

Pitti Uomo is a place in Italy where gentlemen with immeasurable style gather. Men that are an inspiration to young boys, the style oozing from their lapel, dressed with a simple fabric flower. Uomo depicts the site where a man of style gets dressed.

Riana PHILLIPS

Pimlico State High School

Survival, action and hope [detail]

2013

Mixed media installation

Survival, action and hope focuses on the issue of pollution in Australia.

Pollution can destroy natural environments, and the wildlife in them. By destroying these sites our future generations may never be able to observe or experience these wonders again.

Joanna SCHMID Pimlico State High School

Toxicity [detail]

2013

Digital photography on canvas

The military style dress conveys the message of destruction by directly referencing disasters that have occurred in the past. With the human element of the wearable work incorporated into the photographs, the notion that it is humans who cause these disasters is conveyed.

Alison STEHLAU

Pimlico State High School

Time is running out [detail]

2013

Acrylic paint with texture medium

The present is slipping away and we have no control over it. We are desperately trying to save our precious environment on one hand and eroding it with the other. Three environments are represented by the reef, the urban city and the desert. The hourglasses symbolise the past and the future.

Rebecca STENNETT Pimlico State High School

Hidden [detail]

2013

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

This artwork focuses on the site in which the artist enters at times of stress and needs to escape. It is part of her personality; a quiet, shadowed, closed part where the rest of the world is shut off to think. The bright yellow dress is a representation of the artist.

Lachlan STEVENSON Pimlico State High School

Nearly finished [detail]

2013

Film

Nearly finished looks at the stresses put on students today and the ways students get through school assignments. By making reference to a relatable topic, this montage engages the audience through parody conventions and provides outsiders an insight to what an ‘all-nighter’ feels like.

Naveen YOGAVIJAYAN Pimlico State High School

Earth: the sapphire of life [detail] 2013 Film

Earth: the sapphire of life is a short montage that was shot using a Nokia N8 camera and focuses on nature and how it is the essence of life. The montage looks at the finer things in life and gets the audience to appreciate the beauty that nature has to offer.

Savannah MORTIMER St Patrick’s College

Slipping away [detail]

2013

Digital image

This artwork portrays the idea of the powerful effect of society on your individual identity and the way it transforms you into a commercialised, unoriginal being. It captures the growing impact of technology on the self.

Maddison SHEEHAN St Patrick’s College

Untitled [detail]

2013

Mixed media

This work explores how we create our identities and shape the way we are perceived by others in modern society.

Today, there is pressure to conform to stereotypes; therefore I revealed a section on each head so the viewer can recognise the physical self underneath the identity they have created.

Jordan SELF St Patrick’s College

The skin that is you [detail]

2013

Digital images

These photographs explore the notion of skin as a vessel. Collar bones and shoulders are the main focus and convey the vulnerability and frailness of our skin. The images explore how things affect material that is tightly wrapped around our bones and how skin divides us from the world around us.

Brittany WETHERSPOON St Patrick’s College

Roots of the travelling fish [detail]

2013

Mixed media

The two families on either side of the central figure represent split families and conflict. The tree roots offer stability and security in the rush and drama of life. The fish symbolises the need to be free, to travel and the transition from childhood into adult life.

Brittany WETHERSPOON St Patrick’s College

Under belly of reality [detail]

2013

Digital images

This work reflects how dreams shape and mould the person we are. The three digital images represent stages of our night life. What matters to your identity is how you react to an event; the creatures and people in your dreams represent an aspect you can overcome or grow to become.

Nicole Broom

The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James

Confined by an image [detail] Ink on paper

2013

The piece describes experiences of many teenage girls and the way they perceive themselves. Both female figures display the same person in different body positions, however are directly related to each and in unison tell a story. The female is ashamed about her past actions and looks, so she has tried to metaphorically lock them up in a cage.

Taliciah JONES

The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James

Nature vs nurture [detail]

2013

Acrylic on canvas with found objects

The theme of the artwork is personality. The figures display the ‘yin and yang’ of our personality.

The female figures entwine to create movement; their tails enter into a glass jar, which represents the soul and the sense of one whole being. The wings of butterflies embody the feelings of the person and their soul; the butterfly is a symbol of change.

Sophie Roseby

The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James

Existence [detail]

2013

Animation

Throughout our existence, we each carry a box of memories. This box grows with our experiences. We hold it and cherish our experiences and memories, until the time when life drags us down, and we lose sight of the memories we hold. In order to escape this struggle, we need to cling to our memories and accept help from those around us.

Yasemin ALCOCK, Rebecca BELL, Melody CLEMENTS, Kailin CORSARO, Bec EVANS, Jordyn KYLE, Angie LORGER, Laura MILLS and Cha REAL Townsville State High School

Untitled [detail]

2013

Digital photography

Digital photography has a lot to answer for; its ease and cheapness has opened up the camera obsession to a wider populace. Year 12 students used smart phones, happy snap camera, a Nikon D7000 and Photoshop to create this work.

Shanarra DRAKE

William Ross State High School

Transmutation [detail]

2013

Coloured and lead pencil on paper

Change is what every single living or non-living thing experiences and witnesses. Some things change for the good, while other things change for the worse, or just because that’s what nature intended. My art work depicts people changing into animals, and feathers changing into water, and other things changing to represent the way of changes.

Tanya ELLIOT

William Ross State High School

Elements of life [detail] Mixed media

2013

The elements of Earth can be used to represent different stages and different obstacles within the journey of an individual life, which is why they are referred to as the Elements of life. The concept of the elements of Earth has been used in representing many things and can relate to both a philosophical and spiritual context.

Adam FENTON

William Ross State High School

The journey of a lifetime [detail]

Spray paint on paper

2013

One of the most remarkable journeys taken throughout the course of a lifetime is the great migrations of the magnificent herd animals. Animals cross vast distances in the hope of finding that which they need to survive.

They cross barren plains to find water and lush feeding grounds, safe waters to birth and raise their young.

Ebony MITCHELL

William Ross State High School

The journey of dreams [detail] 2013 Manipulated digital images on paper

The transcendentalist view is that people are at their most powerful when they are independent and selfreliant. Journeys involved with chasing dreams are purely for the individuals alone. When on journeys, difficult decisions and drastic measures have to be taken to govern the outcome of the journey, and overcome complications.

LAUREN PRAIN

William Ross State High School

Past warrior, present player [detail] Print on paper

2013

The images that I have used to portray my concept are Maori warrior males with tattoos and also a present Maori football player. I have decided to use the Maori warrior and a football player because they both use tattoos to make themselves look more intimidating.

Holly SPROULE

William Ross State High School

Work in progress [detail] Textiles

2013

The theme of my wearable art piece is personal identity and the idea that you are never fully finished in your growth and development. Essentially you are a ‘work in progress’. My piece represents the choices and indecisions related to creating yourself during the journey of life. The unfinished nature symbolises that the work, like life, is still in progress.

Ashlea VAUGHAN

William Ross State High School

Teenage identity [detail] Print on paper

2013

The context of my work is ‘Evidence of a Journey’. This is portrayed through the identity of teenagers. Teenagers have personal choices in belongings to represent their identity. Bicycles are prime examples of this as they show identity depending on the different bikes people ride. This is evident through different bikes such as BMX and Mountain bikes.

Lily WELLS

William Ross State High School

Shaping a person [detail] Mixed media

2013

Evidence of a journey is seen through the two main photos representing two important stages of life. The journey is philosophical as it relates directly back to my life and the objects that shape it.

The main photos in the foreground are altered and layered to represent the events and situations of my life that have shaped my identity.

Whatever journey, rest is always needed.

Lack of sleep often leads to a decrease in concentration, performance, reaction time and mood swings. It’s important to take breaks to minimise the fatigue. Most scenes are significantly distorted to emphasise the effects of insomnia and restlessness.

Film

The necessity of rest [detail] William Ross State High School

SAI SANTOSA MILLER

2013

HANNAH WALKER Townsville Grammar School

You are a thousand things [detail]

2013

Mixed media

Many people, particularly young females, share wants, hopes and loves, and thus the person I created represents the identity of teenage society. The person we are today is controlled by those around us, so I created this artwork to express concern and true self.

SHAY HEATHCOTE William Ross State High School

External identities [detail]

2013

Film

‘External additions are used to form our personal identities’. Teenagers of today’s society use adornment and clothing to sculpt their identity and indicate the subgroup they identify with.

NAOMI LI The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James

Me, myself and I [detail]

2013

Acrylic on canvas

Two different psychological portraits represent the artist’s alternative inner worlds. The portraits reflect personal responses to the same environment and how the artist sees the outside through her heart. One side represents escapism and the other depicts sadness and panic at the future challenges.

SAMARA SUTTON-BAKER The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James

Untitled no. 4 [detail]

2013

Acrylic on canvas

This work depicts the various hardships experienced by a family with autistic children. Each image represents the altered perceptions of life that autistic children possess. Each figure is shown with anxiety and unease interrelated with a neighbouring person who offers support and comfort.

KATELYN GUIRGUIS The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James

Visceral [detail]

2013

Acrylic on canvas

The painting explores the evolving representations of human emotions. Drug use isn’t an attempt to eradicate emotion, but an escape from emotion; it’s not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality.

DOROTHY LAU The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James

Dorothy’s ambition [detail]

2013

Mixed media

This multi-media painting depicts my dream and the turbulence and hardship that come with it. Having the self-portrait as the centre allows the artwork to be read anticlockwise with the butterflies and gunmen directing attention to the harbour view of Hong Kong, my homeland.

JORDAN SELF St Patrick’s College

The skin that is you [detail]

2013

Digital print

This photograph represents the vessel that is your skin. It conveys the vulnerability and frailness of our skin, yet it is this delicate layer that divides the individual from the rest of the world around them.

DANIELLE THORMAN St Patrick’s College

Experiencing identity [detail]

2013

Digital print

Identity is incorporeal. These images are from an installation that encapsulates identity as experience. Images, sound, smell and taste were used to give identity a physical form. This is a sculpture that was suspended at the centre of the work: a brain connected to computer wires and cables.

RICHARD MILDREN Ryan Catholic College

Dying earth [detail]

2013

Digital print

This artwork was originally developed through my strong emotional connection with nature and my feelings towards the lack of consideration it is shown in modern day society. Human forms are juxtaposed with landscapes to represent nature dying due to the pollution of Earth.

SARAH MAYOCCHI St Patrick’s College

Gene-ration [detail]

2013

Mixed media

This work explores the developing identity of youth through genes that have been passed down through generations. It can be considered as a narrative of growth through genealogy, family, relationship, society and events.

MARISSA OLIVER Proserpine State High School

Border patrol [detail]

2013

Textiles

I’m inspired by the worldwide love of the versatile fabric, denim. My collection focuses on how denim is invading the world and overtaking many traditional fabrics and cultured designs. The denim outfits, based on Greece, oriental cities and Hawaii, become a person’s lifestyle and fashionable second skin.

PATRIZA CORIC Ryan Catholic College

Contemplation [detail]

2013

Ink and digital print

The work evolved from my interest in the exploration of relationships between emotion and colour and mental illness, inspired by Rothko’s colour field works. My ink blots require similar contemplation with the focus being colour rather than shape and subsequently evoke certain emotions within the viewer.

MARTIN DE ROOY Pimlico State High School

Aer ignis terra aqua [detail]

2013

Digital prints on paper

One of the greatest moral, economic and social challenges of our time is climate change and our effect on the planet. In this four part photographic series, each digitally manipulated print depicts a negative human effect on each of the Earth’s elements.

HOLLY ERIKSSON Proserpine State High School

Tree of life

2013

Leaves, spices

My artwork is constructed from natural resources and demonstrates the gradual growth within the plant life community.

Genetically modified practices often do not allow for the fluent growth of plants. The artwork aims to provoke a natural feeling of being unaffected within our world.

KELSEY CROCKER Pimlico State High School

Restricted-vision & Anternet [detail]

2013

Watercolour and pen on paper

This artwork focuses on the role of the media within a socio-cultural context, specifically addressing the influence of television and social media. The artwork represents the manipulation of television programs and industries and how the viewer is often unaware of this manipulation.

EMILY INGHAM Pimlico State High School

Blood stains [detail]

2013

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

Exploitation of a third world country such as Sierra Leone highlights the ways conflict and war can affect its natural resource diamonds. The canvases are purposely separated at the young worker’s wrist, as in reality any thought or attempt to steal will end in amputation of limbs or even death.

JESSICA ARGENT Northern Beaches State High School

Identity [detail]

2013

Water colour on paper

The piece represents my identity and where I am going when I leave school and head into the future. I want to travel the world, across the sea and experience life. Although sometimes things don’t go so good, the future is very bright.

EMMA BONNER Pimlico State High School

Hope and courage [detail]

2013

Digital print, glass bottles with twine and sand, mixed media on paper and restored school desk

My artwork is inspired by a visit to the Hanh Puc Orphanage as part of a school study tour to Vietnam. What impacted me most was how the children, despite what seems to be hopeless socio-economic circumstances, still manage to find love and happiness with the little that they have.

RENEE LLYOD Kirwan State High School

Monsters don’t sleep under your bed, they sleep inside your head [detail] 2013 Ink, gouache and texture paste on plywood

My artwork crystalises the idea of intrapersonal conflicts and personal demons. With its questioning themes, my artwork establishes an intimidating perspective on what is inside your head. I invite you to relate personal experiences and inner conflicts to my artwork. These monsters are your monsters.

JESSICA NOLAN Kirwan State High School

Stonehenge palimpsest [detail]

2013

Charcoal, watercolour and gesso on paper

Stonehenge is an archaeological palimpsest, reminiscent of the different people and cultures that previously surrounded it. My artwork aims to explore the stability of this monument in an ever evolving landscape, connecting civilisations and generations - past, present and future.

SALLY ALTHAUS Kirwan State High School

Technical difficulties [detail]

2013

Acrylic paint on canvas

My artwork crystalises my outback heritage. I was inspired by my memories of photographing the old cars, driving through the gate, seeing the open land and of afternoons sitting on the back veranda watching the sun set. Bundarra, my family’s property name, is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘big kangaroo’.

NHUT CAO HOANG Kirwan State High School

Mum [detail]

2013

Mixed media and collage on paper

My artwork is a palimpsest about a journey.

It represents my admiration for the women who transition from one country to another with the sole purpose of creating a better life for their family. These women (from many different cultures) are tremendously strong, mentally and physically, and have had to deal with much adversity. One such woman is my mother, Linh Hoang.

TAYLAH JARDINE Gilroy Santa Maria College

Cultural congregation [detail]

2013

Acrylic on wood

The totem poles represent the cultural diversity of modern cities and countries.

Two poles represent Russia and Japan and symbolise the building of each civilisation and how they have spread and developed.

The third represents multicultural, urban congregation and the base of the civilisation.

STORM MIENIE Gilroy Santa Maria College

Urban entropy [detail]

2013

Acrylic and bitumen on canvas

Urban entropy illustrates how urban life is directed and controlled by signs. It shows the sky filled with signs and how cities and the world are controlled and directed by signs smothered by markings on roads, emphasising how lost and uncontrolled we would be without this direction.

ANGELA GOLDING Bowen State High School

Technical difficulties [detail]

2013

Mixed media, monoprints, photography, collage and acrylic paint

As a child of the technology age, I was interested in exploring the impact technology has on the young developing mind. The three panels show the emotional progression of a young woman as she is more immersed in technology - becoming a system of androids, under the power and control of technology.

CARA VAN DE WALT Bowen State High School

Manipulations scale [detail]

2013

Wire, rope, and hand dyed silk

This artwork represents manipulation in society and how people will do anything to reach the top. The richly coloured figures represent the manipulators of society and the height of the social ladder. The large figures are equally manipulated by me, thus representing the endless cycle of manipulation in society.

LATIKA BAXTER Bowen State High School

Weight [detail]

2013

Charcoal, handmade paper, wire and multimedia

We have become a consumer nation of overeaters where the idea of starving is something foreign to us. We have never had the feeling of going without and we throw food out by the bucket load. I really wanted to present the plight of children in third world countries to show viewers that we can help.

HANNAH CERNUSCO Bowen State High School

Torn [detail]

2013

Mixed media assemblage on board with gold leaf

I decided to explore within this artwork the cycle of power within relationships; as a teenager relationships are now becoming more serious. It describes the pain and torture that a woman goes through when she is in a destructive relationship.

Something that should be golden and special has begun to tarnish.

Introduction The Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art recognises and promotes excellence in senior visual art education throughout state and non-state schools in Queensland.

An initiative of the Department of Education, Training and Employment since 1990, the program has helped raise community awareness of the degree of sophistication in concepts, diversity of technical competence, and the high standard of visual art education in Queensland secondary schools.

The artworks by the 29 talented young artists in the following pages have been submitted as part of the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art North Queensland Regional Exhibition 2013.

PUBLISHER

Gallery Services, Townsville City Council PO Box 1268 Townsville, Queensland 4810 Australia pinnacles@townsville.qld.gov.au +61 7 4773 8871

Published on the occasion of the exhibition

North Queensland Regional Exhibition 2013

Registration Team

Exhibition organised by GALLERY SERVICES

Pinnacles Gallery 7 September - 29 September 2013

Š Gallery Services, Townsville City Council and the authors 2013

Shane Fitzgerald Manager Gallery Services Eric Nash Curator Gallery Services Sarah Welch Exhibitions and Collection Coordinator Michael Pope Education and Programs Coordinator Rob Donaldson Digital Media and Design Coordinator Jo Stacey Team Leader Administration Gallery Services Leah McManus Exhibitions Officer Holly Grech-Fitzgerald Collection Management Officer Nic Horton Education and Programs Officer Tegan Ollett Education and Programs Assistant Carly Sheil Digital Media and Exhibition Design Officer Gillian Ribbins Administration Officer Wendy Bainbridge Administration Officer Danielle Berry Arts Administration Trainee Breanna Capell Gallery Assistant Michelle Littman Gallery Assistant Pinnacles Gallery 20 Village Blvd, Townsville QLD 4817 07 4773 8871 pinnacles@townsville.qld.gov.au www.bit.ly/pinntcc @TCC_Pinnacles /PinnaclesTCC @PinnaclesTCC Opening Hours Tuesday - Sunday: 10am - 5pm Closed Mondays

Michael Pope / Nic Horton / Tegan Ollett / Leah McManus

Publication Design and Development

Carly Sheil / Michael Pope / Nic Horton / Tegan Olett Typeset in 9 - 12pt Helvetica LT (text) HelveticaInserat LT 15pt (theadings) Meta (cover) Photography: All photography by school staff and students

Gallery Acknowledgements

Gallery Services would like to acknowledge the generous support and assistance of the Department of Education, Training and Employment, S&S Creativity Unlimited and Townsville City Council in realising this exhibition.

A special thankyou to Melinda Gould, Regional Coordinator for Creative Generation. Thanks also to all participating schools, teachers and students: Bowen State High School (Bowen) Gilroy Santa Maria College (Ingham) Kirwan State High School (Townsville) Northern Beaches State High School (Townsville) Pimlico State High School (Townsville) Proserpine State High School (Proserpine) Ryan Catholic College (Townsville) St Patrick’s College (Townsville) The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James (Townsville) Townsville Grammar School, North Ward Campus (Townsville) William Ross State High School (Townsville)

North Queensland Pinnacles Gallery 7 September - 29 September 2013

Regional Exhibition 2013

North Queensland

Regional Exhibition 2013