Georgie Yates

My goal with this body of work was to explore the ways in which plastic pollution is impacting the lives and behaviours of our birds. The amount of plastic in the environment has become so overwhelming that it is creeping into places it shouldn’t be. Birds are having to adapt to the sheer volume of plastic invading their habitats, and they are doing so by utilising it to build their nests. Everything from fishing net remnants and nylon rope, to chocolate wrappers and cigarette butts have been found being used as nesting material. There are simple ways we can mitigate this issue, primarily by minimising the amount of plastic that we use and making sure that what cannot be recycled goes into the appropriate bin. I wanted to show the ways in which human behaviour is impacting the wellbeing of the creatures we are lucky enough to share this planet with; the insidious creep of plastic pollution.

Jane McGowan

Jane’s work is influenced by ongoing issues of inequality that continue to plague and disrupt our humanity.  This body of work was born out of a year living in remote northwest Western Australia where she witnessed extreme levels of inequality and racism which was an everyday occurrence for many members of her extended indigenous family.

Cloth is the preferred medium because it offers opportunities to create tactile, dimensional forms and surfaces.  Cloth, developed from the weft and warp of threads, imitates the intricate weavings of personal experiences, cultures, communities and society itself.  Threads connect, layer, bind, pull together and repair.  Each thread carries memories, shared experiences and emotions just like our life.   As the work is produced, ideas and emotions pass through the hands of the maker into the cloth and it is imbibed with all the feelings that collectively create a story.  This story is full of great sadness for the oldest living culture in the world.

Suzanne Carvell

Childhood markers explore, collect, file and build our collective foundations through experiences formed by emotion. In the natural world life cycles are vast, from tiny micro ecosystems to large cyclic systems that tie to the universal connection. As above so below balanced and in harmony. My objective is to continue to incorporate a sense of existence within emotion where the true gift of being dwells connected to all that is. For it is in using all our senses we open to what needs to change in order to continue growing.

These untitled works acknowledge the child within. Memories of a place where we were one being dancing carefree in a world of possibilities. On June he 16^th Chambers Art Gallery will exhibit works produced by recent Ara Graduates. This exhibition will be works on paper. Intaglio was the process that I gravitated toward. With the help of tutors we progressed and mastered techniques we as graduate artists now call our own.

We would like to acknowledge the Tutors who guided, listened and pushed our comfort zones to explore and ultimately grow as visual artists. Sandra Thomson, Katherina Jaeger, Dorla Pauli, Carol King and Mark McEntyre

Carolyn Currie

Recent years exploring natural boundaries and intervention on the Port Hills has heavily informed my art practice, with a progression into investigating transitional spaces in the urban environment. I draw inspiration from things that I see every day. These ordinary spaces that form my local area and environment, but which often go unnoticed, make the mundane beautiful. I enjoy finding beauty and interest in objects or places which are unusual subjects for art.

My initial process could be described as spontaneous – often evolving as I work, as I try to look beyond the distraction of the conspicuous and focus on things that are frequently overlooked by others.

The latter part of the printmaking process combines the careful composition of forms which, while they are produced mechanically, provide delight through the anticipation of seeing the result after the paper and plate has passed through the press.

Raewyn Crosbie

These prints explore bird transformations in Fairy tales, an attempt to capture the journey a character takes as they transform.  Transformations and shape-shifting is a common element of Fairy tales and an acceptable plot device.  To explain the titles, books can be printed as broadsides or broadsheets, with many pages printed onto one large sheet of paper that is then folded and trimmed to produce either a small book or one signature of a larger book.

The motivation behind Olivia’s works is exploring the hierarchy of printmaking within the art world by juxtaposing it against the development of a domestic woman into a female artist. Printmaking is commonly seen as sitting uneasily between art and craft, and often due to its replicating nature is viewed as a lower art when compared to painting or sculpture. Olivia brings attention to the world of printmaking, and by creating works using found household items, she links in the domestic perspective. Olivia uses the clash between the harsh gouging of woodblock printmaking, and the soft domestic imagery of the home, to bring a subtle humour to her works, splicing the art and domestic world together.

Olivia Baker

The motivation behind Olivia’s works is exploring the hierarchy of printmaking within the art world by juxtaposing it against the development of a domestic woman into a female artist. Printmaking is commonly seen as sitting uneasily between art and craft, and often due to its replicating nature is viewed as a lower art when compared to painting or sculpture. Olivia brings attention to the world of printmaking, and by creating works using found household items, she links in the domestic perspective. Olivia uses the clash between the harsh gouging of woodblock printmaking, and the soft domestic imagery of the home, to bring a subtle humour to her works, splicing the art and domestic world together.