Visual Arts
YEAR 7
Visual Arts beginning their first year of Visual Arts at Mater Dei Catholic College, Year 7 students have been working on developing and creating a range of artworks that reflect specific art movements from modern times. Studying the modern art movements Impressionism, Post Impressionism and Fauvism, students have sketched places of meaning to them, and developed ‘En Plein Air’ artworks, to help build their final Body of Work.
YEAR 8
Students have been diligently working and studying the key ideas of ‘Anthropomorphism’ this term. This unit focuses on animals portrayed with human characteristics, incorporating the style and techniques of artists Rona Green and Alison Friend. Students have created hybrid animals using a range of mediums to transform their designs from sketches to artworks. Students' anthropomorphic Body of Work has shown the students' individual creativity, including in their brainstorming and planning stage, with creativity and discussion of practice readily on show.
YEAR 9
Students have developed their understanding of kinetic artworks. Each student has designed and developed their own moving sculpture. Students have experimented with a broad range of materials and have been inspired by their personal interests, including dancing and soccer.
YEAR 10
Year 10 have been working on creating a contemporary portrait series and documenting their process. Students have explored subject matter such as celebrities, animals, family and other images of interest. Students have documented their process and will complete an artist statement explaining their artistic process. Students have also explored a range of portrait artists to build their knowledge of artistic practices.
YEAR 11
Year 11 have explored the theme of ‘Experiences’ this term. This theme links both the theory of other artists and their practices and the exploration of their own experiences as a source of inspiration in their artmaking activities. Students have also developed skills in writing in an extended form, based on their own research and applying relevant visual arts language.
YEAR 12
Students have continued the development of their HSC Body of Work. There has been a great level of experimentation, discussion and research into their mediums and techniques of choice. Students have also completed an artist research and presented their information in a class presentation and accompanying information sources for their peers. Next term, students will be presenting their works in progress to receive feedback on the clarity of their work, each year students find this a really valuable process.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Year 11 Photography students have also been exploring the notion of portraits and applying photography techniques in the process. Portraits have taken various forms and include images which are relevant to the students. As a part of their learning, students have also undertaken research of photographers of their choice. Next term, students will begin to explore the process of stop motion filmmaking.
Year 12 students have worked on a variety of photographic processes, and they are now in the process of developing their own body of photographic works based on their own interests, using the techniques and practices developed in their learning. It will be fantastic to see their work finished and exhibited.
