I was curious as to what types of visions were being created by these students so I visited the Lambert Arts Center to have a look.
Review by Karla Darocas, Hons.B.A. Fine Arts Historian
Most of the artworks were representational pieces ranging from familiar local landscapes, still life to portraits of people and pets. There were a few graphical pieces that swopped realism for a pop art approach that were fun.
The portraits on the main floor where all quite good with a couple that were exceptional. The African girl with the scarf around her head was masterly, as was the small African boy with the cap. There was a still life of bottles with light reflections that caught my eye in the stairwell.
I was impressed by the different uses of media from pen, pencil, pastel, oils to acrylics and totally amazed at the vastness in the age ranges of the students, which started at six and ended at eighty seven.
One work that stood out from the others because of its technique was an acrylic chameleon crafted via the Australian dot painting style with vibrant colours.
There was only a few abstract pieces with one verging on Cubist and some of the teen work, which was in the subfloor of the gallery, had a tendency towards a fantasy feel.
Some of the humorous pieces that caught my attention were very cleaver. One was a cat wearing a vintage aviators helmet, goggles and fly jacket done in pastels and framed. Another was a framed pineapple decked out in sunglasses and a smart bowtie. My friend exhibited an abstract feminist piece with three symbolic market women wearing funny hats.
The children’s art was mostly dedicated to animals from dogs, frogs, birds, kittens, fish to ducks, even a panda. I am a sucker for giraffes and one piece had a giraffe cuddling with her calf and that was adorable. They were all adorable.
If you get a chance to visit this show it will be open to the public until July2nd, 2107.
If you fancy becoming a painter and expressing yourself then enrollment will start again on September 11th, 2017
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