SALA Exhibition

2022 Exhibition: Fauna

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty, the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living” David Attenborough

At St John’s Grammar, we have been inspired by the beauty and the terror of Australian fauna and responded to issues and forms through a variety of arts practices. Visual Art and design pieces by Year 7 – 11 students form our SALA festival exhibition for 2022.

Drawings, paintings, printmaking works, graphic design, wearable art, silk paintings, sculptures and ceramics all feature in this menagerie of colour and form.

Through bringing nature into the classroom, we inspire fascination and passion for the diversity of life that surrounds us. ‘Fauna’ aims to motivate a sense of responsibility to protect and preserve our native world.

Milk Bottle Competition

The brief: Create a sculpture of a native bird or insect

Participants needed ensure that their sculpture included at least one milk bottle carton with the finished piece predominantly white. The top entries were exhibited in our SALA Exhibition.

Year 7: Extinction

Year 7 Art

Year 7 researched our fragile wildlife and selected one animal that is either classified as extinct, endangered, critically endangered, or vulnerable. Lino prints were used to portray images of these beautiful creatures onto song pages. We ask the audience to contemplate: what if these creatures are one day extinct? Who will hear their song lines?

• Ophelia Farmer
• Riley Naffin
• Tianna Zhang
• Tillie Hall
• William Hinton
• William Langmaid
• Zara Headon

Year 7: Invasion

Year 7, Term 1 & 2

Year 7s explored introduced species in this invasive installation including 46 individually crafted cane toads. These grotesque creatures have ventured across our country, destroying native flora and fauna for nearly 100 years. After discussing Lin Onus’ “Fruit Bats” sculpture that suggests a duality between native fauna and colonised land, Year 7 students learnt to manipulate clay and understand firing processes while thinking about issues surrounding colonisation and the subsequent effects on Indigenous land. Curating this work was also a discussion point, adding meaning to the work by placing the toads as a collective, invading the gallery space.

• Marlie O’Connell
• Millie Ellson
• Olivia Davies
• Ophelia Farmer
• Riley Naffin
• Rose Freeman
• Seb Cruickshanks-Boyd
• Sophie McKell
• Thomas Hobbs
• Tianna Zhang
• Tillie Hall
• William Hinton
• William Langmaid
• Zara Headon

Year 7: Run Rabbit Run

Year 7 students explored printmaking processes in the carving of lino to represent fur on the rabbit’s head. Rabbits, a species introduced to Australia, responsible for the destruction of native habitat and taking over the land: a metaphor for issues surrounding colonisation. Watch our rabbits come to life in an endless loop of invasion. Look closely and you will see that the bodies have been constructed with old atlas pages, depicting untruths regarding Indigenous people. We tore the pages of outdated and racist books, collaged the Indigenous map and printed Indigenous place names on the surface of each rabbit. Standing in mounds of earth, words to describe our feelings of introduced species were printed in the clay bases.

• Lucas Mitchell
• Lucia Fagan
• Luella Tanke
• Millie Ellson
• Rose Freeman
• Seb Cruickshanks-Boyd
• Sophie McKell

Year 8: Nature Bug

Year 8, Term 1 & 2

For Aboriginal people, ‘country’ does not just mean the creeks, rock outcrops, hills and waterholes. ‘Country’ includes all living things. It incorporates people, plants, and animals. It embraces the seasons, stories, and creation spirits. ‘Country’ is both a place of belonging and a way of believing. 

Students explored what ‘country’ means to them and used the idea of place and environment as inspiration collecting natural materials found within their environments. The found materials were then used to create a ‘nature bug’. This was followed by an observational drawing exploring tones, shade and form. 

• Makayla Rowe
• Allyssa Smith
• Ella White

Year 8: What’s Bugging You?

Year 8, Terms 1 & 2

Using detailed observational drawings of insects, student explored the technique of etching. Using dry point etching, students printed a series of artwork in incredible detail. The prints were then worked on with watercolour and collage.

A painting emphasising the work done on colour and mark-making techniques finished the body of work.

• Makayla Rowe
• Allyssa Smith
• Ella White

Year 9 Art: Bugs Alive

Creepy crawlies were the focus of this unit of work, with students exploring three-dimensional shape and texture of creatures we often overlook. The patterns, textures and complexity of form come to life when we look closely.

• Maggie Abram
• Margie Hall
• Mark Poon
• Martha Ward
• Mason Hyde
• Mia Zheng
• Tia Addison

Year 9 Art: Patterns of Life

Year 9 art student depicted unique Australian creatures and engaged in an intensive printmaking course to learn about the processes involved in lino carving and etching. Nine of the best prints were selected to form a final work showcasing a variety of styles and compositions. Watercolour was added to a variety of the prints for added effect. Surfaces on which to print were carefully considered and linked the creature to the spaces they inhibit.

• Margie Hall
• Mark Poon
• Martha Ward
• Mason Hyde
• Mia Zheng
• Tia Addison

Year 9 Design: Birdlife

Year 9 Art/Design, Terms 1 & 2

Rainbow lorikeet, magpie, galah, sulphur-crested cockatoo, noisy miner, laughing kookaburra, crested pigeon, tawny frogmouth, fairy wren, pelican, rosella, parrot, wagtail, budgerigar.

The natural beauty of Australia’s native birds inspired the silk wall hangings. Observations recording colour, shape, texture, form and detail formed the basis for designs on silk. Following experiments exploring the different techniques used in resist methods of patterning silk, students used batik wax, gutta and silk paints to create the large-scale hangings.

• Ione Rawlings-Way
• Phoebe Rutter
• Bride Whetters
• Phoebe Wood
• Evan Zhuang

Year 9 Design: Headdress

Year 9, Terms 1 & 2

The theme of Australian Native Birdlife was the inspiration for the headdresses. The students followed the design process, researching, designing, experimenting, and making exotic headdresses reflecting their research and drawings using paper, card and paper clay.
Who wouldn’t want to wear such a creation?

• Ione Rawlings-Way
• Phoebe Rutter
• Bride Whetters
• Phoebe Wood
• Evan Zhuang

Year 10: Endangered Species

Year 10, Terms 1 & 2

Species have thrived on the Australian landscape for hundreds of thousands, even millions of years, with some tragically disappearing in just a few decades. This is mostly due to predation or competition by feral animals and habitat destruction, also natural disasters, climate change and human impact.

Students were tasked with creating an artwork that visually created an impact that would raise awareness of the plight of some of Australia’s endangered species. Referencing critical, vulnerable and endangered animals’ large-scale graphite drawings were created with the idea of having an impact on the viewer.

• Henry Lyndon
• Sofia Styler
• Timothy Yu

Year 10: What The Eye Doesn’t See

Year 10, Terms 1 & 2

Recording the minute details of a bug’s body, the vivid colours and details not seen by the naked eye was the theme used in these incredible paintings. Experiments in different painting techniques lead to some interesting and surprising results. Can you guess the insect?

• Henry Lyndon
• Sofia Styler
• Timothy Yu

Year 10 Design: Take Flight

Utilising industry standard technology such as Adobe Illustrator, students learnt about specific features of the program to produce striking graphics of Australian bird life. While appearing simple, these graphics are a result of many hours of detailed work. Each defined space representing one layer in the program. Can you count how many layers are in each design? Students learnt to draw digitally, manipulate shapes, fill and stroke techniques, create stamps to add texture or pattern, simplify lines and compose a successful image.

• Sophie Steer
• Stella Dimitropoulos
• Victoria Santopietro

Year 10 Design: Wild & Wearable

Starting with an Australian animal, students were challenged to produce a functional piece of work inspired by the shapes, textures, colours and lines of their selected creature. The design process was key to ensuring a well-considered result.

• Sophie Steer
• Stella Dimitropoulos
• Victoria Santopietro

Year 11: Budgerigar

As part of a visual study, Year 11 students focussed on the plight of the Australian budgerigar and responded to human effect on these beautiful creatures. We were inspired by Ben Quilty’s “Albert” and Daine Mellor’s “Red, White & Blue” in conceptual representation in artworks. Students brainstormed their own interpretations of the effects of colonisation on the birds and manipulated materials to convey messages that are a devastating reminder of human impact.

• Rainie Shangguan
• Sammy Crackett
• Shaylee Van Heerden
• Tara Gacic
• Zara Barry
• Tara Gacic
• Zara Barry

Year 11: Paper Thin

Anna Wili-Highfield’s paper birds gave inspiration to the year 11 students in the creation of their own sculpture, utilising mainly paper to detail the form, texture and beauty of Australian birdlife. Students explored the organic qualities and resistance of paper and wire. They found balance between complexity and simplicity in the processes and materials of their chosen bird.

• Mia Handley
• Rainie Shangguan
• Sammy Crackett
• Shaylee Van Heerden
• Tara Gacic
• Zara Barry

Year 11: Shape Shifter

Year 11 students engaged in wearable art unit to create a shape shifting corset, based on animals in Australia that have an ability to alter their form dramatically in stunning feat of nature.

• Mia Handley
• Rainie Shangguan
• Sammy Crackett
• Shaylee Van Heerden
• Tara Gacic
• Zara Barry