Elphinstone Secondary School students had a chance to show off their art and drama Thursday night, June 3 during its annual Elphi Fine Arts Night.
Some eye-catching pieces were on display including Grace Dieroft's array of portraiture -especially one sketch, Zombie Audrey that had entered the twilight dimension. A digital portrait that was manipulated and mounted byAmber Erickson also drew interest.
Art teacher Rob Steeves said the students are making more use of digital programs before they paint to give them a preview of how the finished piece might look if new colours or techniques are used. Celine Moonen's range of unusual colour, particularly in her painting of a sleeping cat, was striking.
One of the more interesting and mature bodies of work was that of Zoe Wolfe, a Grade 12 student who explains that her fascination with dark subjects is not morbid. She uses india ink with various drawing instruments such as a quill or fountain pen to depict scenes full of story. Her portrait of two wasted musicians, inspired by a post punk band, is called Transmission.
Musicians and famous personalities continue to be the favourite subject matter for teens. But Jennifer Mauel also drew on the resources of the web to provide her with interesting images, particularly her oil painting of Irish children riding horses.
There were fewer three dimensional pieces this year than usual, Steeves said, but he pointed out the work of Melissa Proctor who had made a porcelain doll from scratch and then dressed it in the textiles classroom. Shara C displayed her sculpture and Pete Rayner and Brian Farlinger, their pink elephant.
A favourite among viewers was a portrait of a handsome, young man in a boat by Lucy Webber that demonstrated a high degree of skill.
The evening concluded with Mystical Madness, a play by the Acting 11/12 class under the direction of Bobbi McLeod.
