Scholarship – 2011:
Painting (93306)
Examples of Candidate Work
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Outstanding Scholarship
This Outstanding Scholarship Painting submission presents a focused and highly astute engagement with the
concept of ‘limbo’ as translated by the candidate as “the brief and dreamlike transition between two states of
consciousness (ie. life and death)”, which take the form of an ever-shifting landscape (place/ mindscape). This is a
purposeful premise and one that offered traction for the candidate to visually take grasp of a wholly interpretative
and exploratory approach. The subtleties that steer this investigation are based on clarity of intention understood
through sensitive handling of media and painterly application. The candidate quickly conjures up atmosphere
through careful consideration and implementation of the painting medium (watercolour). They move the visual
vocabulary (use of paint) and narrative vocabulary (image making) into unexpected directions, through
establishing dynamic links between artistic and filmic reference, such as finding common sensibilities (treatment
of atmosphere) in the artwork of Edwin Smith and Tarkovsky’s films. Central characters are also retrieved from
Tarkovsky films. Crowd scenes are a gathering of musicians, characters from films that the candidate likes and
“assorted people I have found interesting”. This embeds a reverent quality to the filmic aspect of the imagery. The
selection processes involved here parallel the choices being made for paint treatment and management of media
within individual works. This is sophisticated methodology, effectively documented and tracked in the workbook.
Both, folio and workbook exhibit a strong sense of personal ownership in regard to media use, as demonstrated
through the attention to luminosity of colour and surface ground handling. There are many lateral approaches
employed in the development of imagery from conceptual to formal devices; range of format (scale and
placement on folio), mark making and pictorial devices (atmospheric perspective), handling of surface and
texture, colour and compositional relationships to source. This is underpinned by a breadth of artistic models that
inform and reposition shifts in the enquiry, such as Doig, Richter, Japanese printmaking, Bosch, Mexican Day of
the Dead, Kiefer’s watercolours. The holistic combination of the folio and workbook is completely revealing of
the degree of persistence and intelligent thinking of this candidate.
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Scholarship
This Scholarship Painting submission utilised the concept of Pandora’s box (as a means to explore ideas of duality;
“being and not being”, real and unreal). The candidate actively engaged with text as image and combined this study
with painterly and sculptural exploration to create a depth of enquiry. The overall approach is led by experimentation
with resolved works carting a strong propositional quality or articulation of the candidate’s own thinking/ point-of-view.
The workbook provides unexpected options that have been explored to unpack the subject territory and also, help
position the works that have been presented on the folio. The workbook is used as a thinking and visual tool, which
reinforces and expands the trajectory of the folio enquiry. The conceptual investigation engaged with in the "I AM ..."
series outlined in the workbook, exemplifies the type of thinking that is in action here, and locates a real sense of
ownership. A strength of this submission is the candidate’s ability to draw on what are essentially historical precedents,
touch base with more recent practice, but in the end present works which are essentially manifestations of their own
imaginative thought processes, ideas and conceptualisation, eg. “I AM HESHE , I AM PANDORA”. Throughout this
body of work concepts are growing out of practice, out of logical visual moves and shifts between 2D and 3D,
composition, form, media and ideas. When 3D devices are employed they are always related back into Painting either
through their compositional relationship to image or through the integrated use of paint media. This candidate
intelligently analyses source and puts together reference in unusual, but purposeful ways, eg. Tatlin, Picasso and Anna
Gormezano Marks. Selection of work for the folio is well edited with good analysis of what signify key developments in
the investigation progression. There is a consistency to the approach, ie. between 2D and 3D that supports the thinking,
but also reinforces the making as a continual transaction and negotiation. This is a solid, focused and engaged
Scholarship Painting submission.
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