ArtExpress Shortlist

Congratulations to Guntas Sandhu (HSC Visual Arts 2024), whose HSC Visual Arts Body of Work Transience was shortlisted for ArtExpress. ArtExpress is an annual exhibition that features a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the HSC examination in Visual Arts.

Under the expert guidance of Mrs Kemal, Guntas created an exceptional Body of work exploring notions of ageism as a series of drawings created with pen on stonehenge paper. In her work, Guntas challenged these idealised notions of ageism by authentically portraying the harsh realities of ageing, emphasising the transient and fragile nature of life. Through fine lines, exaggerated wrinkles, symbolic imagery, and raw expressions, Guntas dismantled glorified misconceptions, offering an unfiltered depiction of vulnerability and the human condition. The large size stonehenge paper allows audiences to delve deeper into Guntas’ refined material practice and make further connections to her conceptual ideas.

Although Guntas’ artwork wasn’t successful in its nomination; we recognise the incredible work ethic and creativity she demonstrated in the creation of her Body of Work. It is an astounding effort to be shortlisted and we applaud her for her hard work, dedication and persistence in completing her Body of Work. 

Semester 2 Junior Showcase

Our Junior Campus Visual Arts classrooms were transformed into a vibrant display of artworks from Year 7 - 10, celebrating the diverse talents of our Visual Arts students. With two Year 10 classes this year, their Self Directed Body of Works claimed most of the space in G10, highlighting their creativity and array of concepts explored through various mediums. 

It was wonderful to see so many of our students, teachers and parents visit our exhibition. The classrooms were certainly buzzing with excitement as students darted between the exhibition space showing their artworks to one another.  We are proud to be able to showcase our student artworks. The culmination of each artist’s  hard work at the end of each semester is undisputedly a pinnacle for the Visual Arts faculty. Congratulations once again to our exhibiting students.

Bundanon Visual Arts Camp

Our inaugural Visual Arts Camp to Bundanon was indeed a highlight for Visual Arts students and the Visual Arts faculty this year. On Monday 2nd December, we set forth on our journey to Bundanon (about 20 minutes or so from Nowra) and experienced first hand, the most beautiful site of 1000 hectares. Bundanon, was a gift from Australian artist Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne to the Australian government in 1993. This was their home and his art inspiration, which has been transformed into an art education destination that pays tribute to the beautiful Australian environment as a nature sanctuary. 

Upon arrival, we paid tribute to the traditional owners of the land through a physical acknowledgement of country. We looked to the sky, listened to sounds in the distance and felt the ground beneath us before we then moved to the Bundanon Art Museum. Our first session “Spark Ideas” allowed our students to engage with a selection Arthur Boyd’s artworks, as well as the recent art exhibition of local Indigenous artists, called “Bagan Barwarigan Yan: Echoes of Country”

We had two days of sunny weather and despite the heat, humidity and flies (!), our students worked “en plein air” (in the open air) and challenged themselves with material practice that was new to them. We left the “typical” classroom behind and carried our art equipment over our shoulders. Armed with stools, drawing boards, easels and various artmaking mediums - students visited the creek, the jetty and the “hill” in order to capture the landscape of Bundanon. The friendly educators at Bundanon reminded our students that it wasn’t about “perfection”. If they wanted to have a picture perfect landscape, they could take a photograph. Instead, students embraced the location, connected with the land, listened and felt the spaces around them in order to produce a variety of artworks. 

As the sun set for the evening, our students prepared themselves for an exciting photography workshop with Mrs Harris. Students learnt about the basics of working with a DSLR and had the opportunity to experiment with shutter speed and aperture, as they created a series of light paintings. 

After a good night’s sleep, our students enjoyed a second day of artmaking. This time they created a “reverse charcoal” drawing, covering a gessoed piece of paper completely with black willow charcoal before rubbing out and working back into the artwork as they observed the environment around them. With each artmaking activity, we set up an outdoor gallery and students had the opportunity to provide peer feedback and critique each other’s finished artworks. These discussions allowed students to consider various ways that materials can be used and we can include our own style within an artwork. 

A huge thank you to Mrs Kemal, Miss Rivera and Mr Houseman who generously gave up their time to accompany our students on camp. We look forward to sharing more photos and videos from our unforgettable trip in future assemblies/newsletters. 

Year 12 2025 Visual Arts Incursion - 

Stephen Hall Artist Presentation

After a very successful artmaking workshop with artist Stephen Hall and Year 10 (as a part of the CAPTIVATE Access Artist program); we were fortunate enough to have Stephen back for another artist presentation - this time, with our Year 12 Visual Arts students. Stephen generously shared his artmaking practice with our Year 12 class, bringing various examples of his artworks in person in order for students to see and touch in real life. 

As students are embarking on their own artmaking journey for their HSC Body of Works, Stephen shared his wisdom with us and demonstrated his artmaking processes. From his artistic beginnings as a young child living in Broken Hill through to his professional work as an independent artist, Stephen showcased his artmaking techniques in oil paintings  through to printmaking and elaborated on how he developed conceptual ideas for his works. Stephen reminded our Visual Arts students that we use art as a vehicle to communicate to the audience and to pour our feelings into our artworks. “Make every line weep” will now be our new mantra as we consider the strength of emotional connections with our audiences. 

Thank you for your remarkable and insightful presentation Stephen and thank you to CAPTIVATE for arranging this extra Access Artist session for our St Andrews students. 

Mrs Claudia Harris

Leader of Learning Visual Arts