Year 9 and 10 - Art Excursion 

On the 9th of June, Year 9 and 10 Visual Arts students travelled to the Art Gallery of NSW to view the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize. Whilst there we also visited the new ‘North building’ to see the Adrián Villar Rojas: The End of Imagination Exhibition where sculptural forms awaited in the darkened historic space. This space was once an oil tank used during WWII.The acoustics of the space and the sheer size gave the exhibit an ambience which students enjoyed. Through this experience students learnt the importance of location and place in displaying an artwork. 

Following this we visited the Making Worlds exhibition which brings together new acquisitions with existing artworks in the galleries collection. The artworks which formed Making Worlds were contemporary in nature and allowed students to see that art can go beyond drawing or painting.  

The Archibald was our next destination, we arrived to see an amazing array of portraits which ranged from traditional to contemporary in style. Students were in awe at the scale of the work as well as the techniques that artists are using in their paintings. Whilst some stitched into their work, others cut their canvas/board into a unique shape or used unconventional mediums. This exhibition was the culmination of the Year 9 Unit which looked at the Archibald prize, its success and its controversies over the years. Students and teachers were amazed at the quality of work this year, we were truly best to witness the great talent of Australian artists. 

The excursion ended with a short visit to the permanent collection of the AGNSW where students saw the pioneers of Australian art and more traditional paintings and sculptures. Students saw the detail in these traditional artworks and developed an appreciation for the time it took to create these pieces.

Year 7 - Mulga artworks

Year 7 students have been exploring the artmaking practice of the artist Mulga. Mulga is known for his unique style, intricate pattern work and bright colours. Mulga is an illustrator, muralist, designer and published author. His work can be found on murals, books, posters, t-shirts and even Slurpee cups. 

A variety of artmaking tasks were introduced to year 7 students. The focus of each task is working with bright colours and textures. Some students are designing T-shirts, emulating Mulga’s work with cotton on kids. Others are creating posters or designing and painting their own Slurpee Cup. 

Year 8 Ceramics- Mombasa Minis

Year 8 students have been busily working on their Mombassa inspired Mini Mugs. This is a new artmaking activity which we have developed based on students' interests in ceramics. 

Students were asked to create a mini ceramic mug inspired by Reg Mombassa. Our students have shown immense talent in this hands-on medium. Students have learnt to throw and wedge their clay, create a pinch pot and securely attach additional pieces of clay to create 3D pieces. Next lesson we will explore how to add texture to clay before the mugs are fired in the Kiln. 

Below, images of their progress so far:

Year 11 Photography 

Year  11 Photography students have been busy learning advanced photoshop skills and editing their portrait photos. 

At school students took photos of figures and superimposed these figures with landscapes or scenery that they had previously taken. This work was inspired by Nacho Ormachea, a French photographer and digital artist. Students aimed to take photos of figures which showed emotion, conceptual strength and meaning. They then had to decide which image would work best with their figures' pose.

Learning photoshop may be confusing at times but these photos show the knowledge that students in Year 11 have gained in such a short amount of time. Well done to Year 11 Photography students!

Mrs Tiana Psaila

Visual Arts Teacher