Art News

Art by Stage 1 and Stage 2 

Stage 1 and 2 have been studying works by New Zealand born artist Rosalie Cascoigne. As a child growing up in New Zealand, Rosalie loved collecting shells, pebbles and driftwood from the beach, this love of collecting discarded things continued into her adult life. She met her husband in New Zealand, who was an astronomer. They moved to Canberra to be closer to the observatory and Rosalie trained as a teacher. It was then she started to make artworks using all the found objects she had collected over the years. Rosalie became a well-recognised artist, and her works remain on display in major galleries throughout Australia.

The artwork students have created is based on a series of artworks Rosalie made using discarded metal road signs. These were found at the tip, they were cut into pieces, and marked with white paint to signify they were too old to be used on the roads. These abandoned pieces of signs caught Rosalie’s attention, as yellow and black were her favourite colour combination. Her grandmother had yellow and black curtains in her kitchen as well as yellow and black crockery. Rosalie loved her grandmother and had lived with her for most of her childhood with her mum and siblings, after her parents separated. Yellow and black signified happy childhood memories for her. The white splashes of paint reminded her of the white cockatoos she would see in the outback sitting on the road signs, taking a much needed break from the sun.

Students enjoyed the freedom of creating these artworks, arranging the pieces in a haphazard manner, without worrying about whether their drawing was good or not (something everyone tends to do from time to time). Most importantly we learnt that art can be anything!

Miss Adams