PEOPLE’S CHOICE PRIZE
receives a Cash Prize of $2,500
Meredith Simpson
Vermont Primary School, Vermont VIC
Pretty in Pink
pan pastels & pastel pencil on colourfix cotton paper
(24 x 30cm)
Our native birds are so beautiful. I wanted to capture the soft beauty of our native Gallah which I think also helps to remind us to look for beauty in everyday things. Many thanks to Nyssa Neilson for the use of her beautiful reference photo.
HIGHLY COMMENDED STATE-BASED PRIZE WINNERS 2021
Seven winners received art materials from Zart worth $2,500
QUEENSLAND
Andrew Peachey
Redlands College, Wellington Point
Place and Time – Grandma’s House
digital photograph on gloss paper
(35 x 50cm)
We live with three generations in our house which is a natural way of thinking for me because I grew up with one Grandmother living with us and the other Grandmother living next door. Grandma’s house is still standing, but in another month, it will be demolished along with my old family home. The whole streetscape is changing, and a large part of my childhood will be gone. Grandma left us in 1976, but inside the house it is still the same. Memories are powerful and being in that space she lived in was like she was still there. I projected an image of Grandma onto her old house and used painting with light to highlight some areas. The tenants were home but need to move out in one week ready for the redevelopment of the property.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY / NORTHERN TERRITORY
Claire Shepherd
Caroline Chisholm School (Primary), ACT
Beyond Where We Are
graphite on gesso baord
(15 x 30cm)
My practice recreates surfaces, textures and colours evocative of particular places; each work attempts to re-collect layers of the “place” at once of and from memory melded with specific gatherings, a culmination of many different images, spaces, experiences, and materiel.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Stephanie Wright
Prospect North Primary School, SA
Daughter On The Front Line
0.1 black fineliner
(74 x 55cm)
“Paramedics have been and remain at the front line of the community struggle with COVID-19. My daughter Bridget is one of these people. It both worries me and amazes me that she and her colleagues continually have their feet on the ground (in every sense of that saying) and just get on with the job during these difficult times.
In my drawing, I wanted to depict the strength, stamina and presence of these front line workers, symbolised by my daughter, and that they are always standing by those needing support.
Many 0.1 black line markers were used to complete this drawing. For me, drawing is a form of relaxation and stress relief. The focus on attention to detail required in this fine drawing, I find therapeutic.”
TASMANIA
Romany Best
Hobart College, Mount Nelson
Selfie With Pussy in Still Life
oil on canvas
(150 x 71cm)
“The tug between my love of paintings scenes in situ and indoors and my fascination with my phone photos has been with me since the dawn of the mobile phone with camera.
Re-creating the space around me in my studio onto a two-dimensional surface offers endless compositional opportunities and the activity of acute, focussed observation has become a dharma, a meditation. It is trying to capture the trick of eyesight and recreating it’s magic and life on a still surface.
My cat and what my phone camera does to the space in front of me have become a way to self sooth in an increasingly terrifying world.
My studio is always in a state of flux with half-finished paintings and canvases in all states of preparation. In this painting a phone photo is painted onto a blank canvas at the forefront of a still life. Two obsessions on the one surface. Bliss.”
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Amanda Shelsher
Tuart Hill Primary, WA
50
stoneware, slip stains, sgraffito
(35 x 40 x 22cm)
“Professional sculptor / teacher for 25 years. Works reflect my love of the natural environment – paying respect to birds, mothering instinct and habitat. Built by hand using variety of clays and sgraffito design. Acquisitions – National Gallery of Australia Gold Coast Art Gallery Manly Art Gallery.”
NEW SOUTH WALES
Lana Mansfield
Merewether High School, NSW
The Fighter
oil on canvas
(175 x 76cm)
“In this portrait I have tried to capture my father, his life experiences, his troubles, his journey, his life. In The Fighter, you are presented with a man a life experience spanning over 70 years. His expression shows fatigue and perseverance. My fathers battles are largely internal: persistently fighting inner demons to seal one’s self worth. His struggle, like my own, is often with the self – Pushing boundaries and expectations, sometimes to ones own detriment.”
VICTORIA
Carmen Mazzarotta
Aitken College, VIC
acrylic, oil paint, oil pastel & paint marker on canvas.
(76 x 76cm)
“This artwork was created in the depths of my grieving my dearest friend Jayne and my father in law. This was one of my darkest days having received news on the same day that they had both passed away. Jayne and I were friends who shared a passion for teaching, nature and Art. She was a much loved friend and teacher by all who had the privilege to be in her circle. She was gentle and kind and always saw life through rose coloured glasses. My father in law Carmelo had been a father figure to me for 26 years. He had truly welcomed me and treated me like his very own daughter. He lived for his family and his love for us all was his motivation in everything he did.
Colour is hope, it triggers memories and evokes emotions. Colour is powerful – just as powerful as my grief. I will be forever connected to Jayne and Carmelo, for having known them, has been a true gift. All who knew them remain connected by their love, wisdom, stories and colourful living memory.”
The Finalist Exhibition was held at
The Lennox
208 Lennox Street, Richmond VIC
2nd April – 16th April, 2022
This exhibition comes with a comprehensive Teachers Resource companion.
Click here to download the Teachers Resource
View the winners & virtual gallery for the National Teacher-Artist Prize 2021