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Exhibition - Painting
Top Art Exhibition - Painting
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Ashleigh Horrell, Ashburton
College Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
I am currently attending CPIT’s Bachelor of
Design, Visual Arts course.
Information about my work:
‘Rabbits of War'
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
The idea of my portfolio was simply rabbits,
but then what were my rabbits going to
portray? Rabbits hunting? Rabbits going to
war? This whole idea got me thinking about
the human aspects of men hunting rabbits so I
put my rabbits in military dress. They are now
at war with their own kind and soon enough
have their own evolution and have lost their
identity completely.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
I used mixed media, brush application.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
Highpoints were the time I spent working on
the portfolio; it was worth the time to get the
Excellence result in the end.
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Benjamin Foster, Rathkeale
College
Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
Heading to Canterbury University to study
first-year Engineering.
Information about my work:
‘Cadbury Inquisition’
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
I started off with an initial investigation of
the Cadbury crème egg, Star Wars monster,
brains and Commando comics. I developed
these ideas through art and political history,
finding connections with the loose idea I
had of a war between good and evil. I
looked at historical events where one group
of people had been dominated, exploited and
controlled by another group.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
Mixture of graphic media, ink, pencil, monoprinting, acrylic paint, and collaged tissue
paper.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
High points were seeing the paintings evolve
as new ideas were discovered.
Bronte Heron, New Plymouth
Girls' High Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
As I was in year 12 in 2011, I will be going
back to school for NCEA level three.
Information about my work: ‘When
he lost his marbles’
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
It all stemmed from ‘Where the wild things
are’, a picture book about escaping into your
imagination. I saw this as a way to create
a refuge for people. I’m also interested in
drawing faces, especially those of the elderly.
By combining these two ideas, I came up with
the theme of an old man ‘loosing his marbles’,
or going crazy.
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Techniques / Processes / Materials
I used mainly oil paint, but also charcoal, tea
stains and pencil.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
My portfolio eventually developed to show a
sense of surrealism, which I didn’t expect, but
it fits with the idea of insanity and an alternate
reality.
Grace Pickford, Pukekohe
High School Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
Bachelor of Arts at Whitecliffe College of Arts
and Design, Auckland.
Information about my work:
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
My original thoughts when beginning my work
were around death, memento mori and 16
th century vanitas paintings, however as the
folio progressed I began focusing on the
idea of ‘fading’ death, what happens to the
memory of a person over time. This lead me
to my interest in old family photographs, the
stains, fading and discolouring that happens
over time and how this process is similar to
that of forgetting a person.
I looked at artists such as Christian Boltanski
[contempory French sculptor, photographer,
painter and film maker], who approached
death neither in fear full or aggressive way,
instead of honesty and with a curiosity.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
Because I was working from photographs that
were personal to me, I found it important to
capture correctly the people I was depicting.
I worked in oil paints throughout my entire
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board as they enabled me to put the time into
my work necessary to achieve the realism I
was after. The processes of photography and
photographs themselves were very important
in my thematic ideas and concepts.
I became very interested in the relationship
between painting and photography, how the
two have affected each other over time, in
particular the shift away from the realistic
painting after the invention of photography.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
Before I started this folio of work I considered
myself a sketcher, and was never interested
in painting. My high point would definitely
have been trying oil paints for the first time,
at the beginning of the year. I immediately
found that the qualities of oil, such as slowdrying and ability to rework, suited perfectly
with my working style.
Trying a new medium was something I used to
avoid, but seeing how much I have developed
as an artist after trying oil has lead me to be
open to any mediums, always trying them out
and being patient with myself as I learn them.
Ellena Young, Mahurangi
Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
I am currently studying at Victoria
University of Wellington doing a Bachelor of
Architectural Studies. I have plans to travel
after I have finished my course and work
overseas. I will then complete my masters
degree to become a fully qualified Architect.
Information about my work:
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
The overall theme of my art board was the
shoreline and sea. I focused on many different
aspects of this topic in the series throughout
my boards. I tried to examine the shapes
and colours of shells and other natural items,
contrasting them with the undesirable man
made contributions to the shoreline.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
As the boards progressed I began to mix
the forms of different natural and man made
items focusing on the impact that they have
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on the coastal environment and the way that
nature absorbs them into the landscape.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
Toward the end of my work I began
to experiment with different materials
and combining the different developments
amongst the series.
Jane Warren, Rathkeale
College Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
Studying
University.
agri-commerce
at
Massey
Information about my work: ‘Global
Revolution in a Parallel Universe’
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
Ideas of a futuristic world combating issues/
ideas from the past; all about the contrast
between worlds.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
I used layering of paint and a finish of Gesso
Primer, and then using a blade and rubber
cut into and scraped out a network of lines.
The base colour was red, this is what shows
through. The red was mixed with calcite to
make it thicker.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
I was already using the idea of container
cranes and containers when ‘The Rena’ oil
disaster occurred – this was an interesting
issue for me, I used the idea of the bending
containers on the ship in my paintings along
with the spilt oil on the water – part of the
issues of a global revolution.
Jemma Russell, St Hilda's
Collegiate School Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
Commencing
Marketing.
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a
degree
in
Finance
and
Information about my work:
‘Polynation’
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
I began by painting things I liked to paint –
colourful rural New Zealand landscapes, and
still life. I developed the paintings by using
the abstract qualities of the beehive, such
as the geometric rectangle shapes and lines.
Then I began using the bee as a metaphor for
transformation (inspired by Michael Height,
a self-taught New Zealand artist) to combine
rural scenes with city landscapes, and also as
a means of travel.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
I painted in acrylic, but also used wood and
paper samples to relate to the beehive and
postage.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
I found it interesting the way the story of
my paintings began to pan out as my works
developed. I had no idea how it would all fit
together, but in the end it all made sense.
Rose Dryland, Fairfield
College Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
I am having a break in study this year and
I am working instead. In 2013 however I
plan to study either Visual Arts at Auckland
University of Technology or Architecture at
Auckland University. I am taking this time off
to determine which stream of art I would like
to get into.
Information about my work: ‘Family
Legacy’
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
The concept of my portfolio began with my
interest in family history, and several objects
which had belonged to my grandparents.
These gave an insight into their character and
aspects of their lives that were not known
to me. Letters my grandfather wrote to his
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mother during the war capture his young
personality which I was never able to witness.
I discovered throughout this process how
much I was influenced by my ancestors and
how I would not be the person I am today
without them. I am delighted to be able to
preserve these aspects of history through my
artwork and I hope to have honoured my
ancestors through my portfolio.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
I began my portfolio with observational
drawing to give a realistic portrayal of my
chosen objects. I completed these drawing
studies in pen/ pencil and pen and wash. The
remainder of my portfolio was painted with
acrylic paint to give an enhanced sense of
reality.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
A highpoint of this process was determining
the direction that I would take with my
concept. After this I had many ideas that I
wished to pursue through the development of
my work. Another highpoint was completing
my portfolio so that now I have a collection of
work that may itself become part of my family
legacy one day.
Tahiwi Trenor-Hunt,
Horowhenua College Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
This year I will begin studying Fine Arts with
Honours, majoring in illustration at Massey
University.
Information about my work: ‘Te Tai
Tiaki'
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
At the time I was feeling quite nervous
yet excited about going to university and
becoming more independent. I was sad to
be moving away from Hokio beach and my
parents for the first time. I expressed these
emotions throughout this opus.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
I used acrylic paints for all of the pieces. Some
also feature newspaper and cardboard. A lot
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of the techniques used were inspired by my
favourite artists.
Taylor Annabell, St Cuthbert's
College Click any thumbnail to view a larger version:
My plans for 2012:
In 2012 I have a Vice-Chancellor’s scholarship
for Auckland University of Technology and I
am doing a Communications degree.
Information about my work:
'Natural disasters and floods’
Ideas / Concepts / Themes
I began exploring the subject matter of floods
through media images and responded to this
in an environmental manner. Then, aided
by artistic references, I began to stylise
the floods and took the floods out of the
environment through creating my own scene
with models.
Through these models my work began to take
on its own momentum with each painting
leading onto the next, ending with the
domestication of the flood, in that it becomes
part of the kitchen table.
Techniques / Processes / Materials
The work is mainly oil painting with
experimentation with creating texture using
gesso, whiting, ink and acrylic paint. I
explored different ways of interpreting the
flood including stylising the found images as
well as taking my own photographs of model
scenes and manipulating them which gave
me greater control over the direction of the
work.
Highs and lows that arose during the
production of my work:
The most important issue was how I would
extend the work past a re-creation of the
flood landscapes and how I would take real
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ownership of the work if I was restricted by
the images presented by the media.
The boards are the way that I attempted to
move beyond this and make a comment on
floods, particularly through my use of models
and the domestication of the landscape. This
I believe was a very successful conclusion
because it returned to where I began: looking
at floods in the newspaper at the breakfast
table.
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