To round off a year of artmaking and a series of exhibitions, the Visual Arts Department was proud to recently present ‘Spotlight’. This exhibition brought together a small selection of artworks from Years 1 -10. Works ranged from explorations of abstraction in acrylics and oil paints, cubist wooden sculptures, etchings of mythical beasts, still life paintings in watercolour and photographic studies of the biblical tale of ‘Judith and Holofernes’. This is the second year that 'Spotlight' has capped off our exhibition program. It provides a unique opportunity for the School community to engage with a broad range of Visual Arts learning across our Primary and Secondary programs.
One Still Life, Many Stories - Year 1
Year 1 have studied still–life paintings of flowers by Margaret Olley and Pierre Bonnard. Resulting watercolour paintings of potted Anthuriums express exploration of colour, shape and proportion when still life drawing.
The Night Sky - Year 3
Students have undertaken various techniques when mono-printing, using single colour, tri-colour and tracing techniques. Inspiration was sourced from artists who have experimented with mono printing such as Edgar Degas.
Metalicas - Year 4
These small abstract paintings have been inspired by etchings completed earlier in the year. Students have worked in metallic colour with inspiration from Gustav Klimt and Art Nouveau designs.
Expressionist Masks - Year 4
The German Expressionist art movement have been the main source of inspiration for the designing and building of these clay masks.
Art and Illusion - Year 5
These artist books explore illusion with a focus on transparency, refraction and reflection. Using their ipads, students created a series of images of everyday objects and compiled these photographs into a book format.
Black and White - Year 6
Refrained from the use of colour, students have undertaken paintings of bottles, jugs and containers with a focus on technical considerations such as composition, contrast and tonal values.
Suburbia - Yr 8
Investigating our connections to our immediate contexts and the spaces in which we inhabit, we are able to recognise how these spaces can both shape and reflect our identities. Students used images of their homes, explored the art practice of Howard Arkley and applied Pop Art sensibilities to developing their paintings.
Guitar/Violin - Yr 8
These sculptures were inspired by artists such as Pablo Picasso, George Braque and Juan Gris. Students considered three-dimensional form as well as how to represent a musical object from multiple perspectives. Each individual piece of balsa wood is hand cut and assembled through a system of slots or grooves.
Chimera - Yr 9
In Term 1, Year 9 completed a series of etchings based on the study of mythical creatures and the Chimera. Using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, students developed their own personal chimera; a strange and special creature that spoke to each student. Traditional dry-point techniques enabled students to convey the finest texture of animal skins.
Limbs - Yr 10
Each student produced a series of three photographs that together portrayed the tale of Judith and Holofernes. This built upon student investigations from Term 1 and allowed students to explore the topic through a different medium and in greater depth.
Tales of Abstraction - Yr 10
Over the course of a semester Year 10 Visual Arts students looked at the tale of Judith and Holofernes. These abstract oil paintings attempt to portray the complex narrative through their use of the colour, form or shape and composition.