Karine Trollip, commercial and marketing manager said on Monday, October 27 that “the art exhibition was a treat for art lovers and also those who are interested in how school leavers think.” And when one saw how creative some of the pieces were, it is obvious that school leavers definitely have some interesting thoughts!
For instance, Claudia Spilsbury’s design and execution of her four large acrylic and glue paintings, titled All of Me, depicting DNA, a thumb print, iris and heart beat which identifies us as individuals received a special mention from Guy Thesen, a local artist and Oakhill’s founding art teacher who opened the exhibition on Wednesday night.
Thesen said he was impressed by the student’s individual interpretations of the exam practical theme Self/Other and singled out one art work from each artist’s substantial body of work.
Thesen also complimented Nicole Baye’s Transparency, a series of well-executed portraits of her classmates which point to the transient nature of identity. Mounting her pencil drawings on tracing paper between glass enabled them to be seen from either side, making a two dimensional image sculptural. Hannah Laughton’s Video Dance Drawing also caught the eye when she drew together all the themes of her surrounding artwork. The video showed Laughton dancing to music while using her body as a paintbrush.
Thesen said by watching the video and listening to the same music as Laughton, draws the viewer “to enter deeply into the art work.” Art lovers who missed it can look forward to next year’s exhibition because this highlight is held at the end of every year when the Grade 12 art learners complete and showcase their creations for the Independent Education Board (IEB).
Nicole Baye's Transparency is a series of portraits of her classmates which point to the transient nature of identity. The drawings were done on tracing paper between glass so that it created a two dimensional image sculpture.
Melissa Strydom, a Grade 12 pupil at Knysna's Oakhill School, said that her painting for the Independent Education Board Matric Art Evaluation, was inspired by "reflecting on one's linear self and how one becomes trapped within your self". Strydom and her classmates' will be exhibited at the lower level of the Oyster Walk Apartments at Pledge Square, Knysna until Friday, October 24.
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