Student art out of the box

Alice Springs visual arts lecturer Henry Smith promises “something a little bit edgy” when the end-of-year student art exhibition opens at the Araluen Centre next week.

“It will be an eclectic collection of works demonstrating student skill in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and ceramics,” Mr Smith said.

“You will see a variety of techniques and approaches to art that show how each student thinks differently about subject matter.

“And the skill level varies from those just starting off to those who are quite experienced.”

Mr Smith said the introduction of the use of costume this year had forced students to work harder in the life drawing classes.

“Life classes took a new approach with the introduction of theatrical costumes and an exploration of a burlesque theme.”

Mr Smith said the “Outside the Box” exhibition would include about 250 works from some 50 student artists and that most items would be for sale.

He said the opening would take place at Witchetty’s Gallery at the Araluen Art Centre at 6pm on Friday December 2 and that the exhibition would be open to the public from December 3-5.

Meanwhile, fellow Alice Springs art teacher Suzi Lyon’s “Into Blue” exhibition is on show at Araluen.

Ms Lyon said the exhibition was partly inspired by the beauty, omnipotence and fragility of the Arctic, which she has visited several times.

The exhibition contains Ms Lyon’s field recordings of melting ice, glacial carvings, large-scale ink drawings, videography and photography of the heavily glaciated Svalbard Archipelago.

“I wanted to record the sounds of the ice to express my sorrow at what is being lost: the melt of the sea ice and the glaciers.”