'Whispers On the Way' — Olivia Staples

St Pius X Unanderra Year 5 Olivia Staples   

2021 YEAR 5 FINALIST
'Whispers On the Way'
Olivia Staples, Year 5
St Pius X Catholic Parish Primary School, Unanderra 


My artwork was inspired by the Bible passage, ‘Journey to Bethlehem’. Here we are visualising Mary and Joseph’s arduous journey that changed their lives forever. We should all follow our own paths and not let anyone stop us from striving to be the best we can be. I hope everyone that journeys through my artwork discovers and is reminded that our lives are one, big, amazing journey that we experience together in our minds, words, and actions.

I was inspired by artists Vincent Van Gogh and the recently passed John August Swanson. I love their artworks for the amazing details and vibrant colours. I specifically loved the use of patterns in Swanson’s paintings and tried to reproduce this effect in my own work.

I used acrylic paint to create vibrant colours to grab the audience's attention. I started by drawing the hills lightly on the background then painted the base colours, followed by the finer details and layers of colour. I added the Aboriginal dot patterns to link the traditional custodians of our land to my artwork.

“Whispers On the Way” symbolises the light brush strokes in my sky and the whispers of the coming of our Saviour Jesus.
 

Listen to Olivia's description of her artwork below...

 


View more of our Christmas Story Art Exhibition 2021 artworks by clicking on our young artists' names in the teal panel. Alternatively, click through our artworks below.

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