Visual Arts

Class collaborative art pieces

In term 2, students worked together to create classroom collaborative art pieces for our learning spaces. Students in each level were given one piece of the overall design to complete. They used a range of colours, shapes, patterns and textures to make their piece their own. 

Painting with purpose - The history of Polka Dots 

This term, students have dived into the exciting world of dots in art! Did you know that something as small and simple as a polka dot can be used to tell stories, create patterns, and even share big ideas?

Our journey began with dot painting in Indigenous Australian art,  exploring the colourful and powerful artwork of Bobby Lockyer, a modern Indigenous artist who uses dots to celebrate her heritage in bold and beautiful ways.

Using Bobby's work as their inspiration, students analysed the deep meaning and symbolism of Indigenous arts, applying these in the creation of their own individual art works reflective of their families, communities and selves. 

Bobby Lockyer

Bobby Lockyer is a groundbreaking and passionate artist whose work is full of colour, culture, and powerful stories. She comes from a very creative family and has loved making art for as long as she can remember. 

Growing up, Bobby was always encouraged to explore who she is and how she connects with the world through her artwork.

Bobby is a proud Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul and Yawuru woman who lives and works on Kariyarra land in Western Australia. 

She has been a professional artist for over 15 years and creates stunning multi-media pieces using a mix of Aboriginal art, painting, illustration, and digital design.

Her art is inspired by everything she loves—her family, her culture, her land, and her passion for standing up for Indigenous rights. 

Each piece she creates is a reflection of who she is and what she believes in. Through her use of colour, pattern, and dot painting, Bobby shares powerful messages and encourages others to be proud of who they are.

Preps 

Starting off Term 2 with a bang, our Prep students have begun to explore the world of colour theory. Using mediums such as pastels and paint, students have broadened their understanding of Primary and Secondary colours and how we can make new colours just like magic using colour mixing. 

They have explored the history and application of Indigenous art techniques focusing on dot paintings in modern art forms.

Students have started to apply these techniques in planning and completing a series of personalised works of art including Primary colour polka dot self-portraits. 

Year 1/2

Year 1 and 2 have dived into the world of polka dot art, exploring the work of modern Indigenous and Japanese artists, how they apply their mediums in different ways, and the connections to family and community that these artworks represent.

Taking inspiration from the traditional Indigenous art form of dot painting, students have developed their understanding of storytelling and the sequencing of events, representing these ideas and understandings through drawn storyboards and applying learnt dot painting techniques. 

Year 1 and 2 students used Little Blue and Little Yellow as inspiration, a children's book that explores themes of friendship, community, and tolerance. The story is about two blob-like characters, who initially dislike each other but eventually mix to become Little Green, a new, larger entity. Students created their very own short stories using dot painting.

Year 3/4

This term, year 3 and 4 students studied a range of modern Indigenous and Japanese artworks, examining painting application and techniques. 

Students broadened their understanding of storytelling within artwork and how this can be used to pass down histories, strengthen community connections and represent 

our lived experiences.

Using dot painting methods utilised by Australian Indigenous artists, learners planned, designed and applied these skills to the completion of their own family tree art works.

Family Tree

In Indigenous cultures, family and kinship systems are foundational, often extending beyond the closets family members to encompass a complex network of relationships, responsibilities, and cultural identity. 

These systems are crucial for social cohesion, cultural transmission (the passing on of values, cultural knowledge and traditions), and the well-being of 

individuals and communities. 

For many Indigenous peoples, family and kinship are deeply intertwined with their connection to the land (Country), which is a source of identity, spirituality, 

and cultural meaning. 

Year 5/6

Year 5 and 6 students have been exploring the storytelling captured within Indigenous artwork and how these works seek to strengthen families, community and historical connections.  

Learners applied Indigenous dot painting techniques and shared tradition Indigenous symbols to the design and complete their own individual community paintings. These captured the important and individual spirit of each students world, their families, friends, parks and places special in their lives.