Different perceptions

MARION VAN DIJK

CREATIVELY BENT: Waimea College students Sarah Dickson, left, and Jennifer Currie.

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Painting is a good way not to study, but for two Waimea College students that hasn't stood in the way of academic achievement. Charles Anderson reports.

Sarah Dickson, 17, and Jenn Currie, 18, are both in their final year of school at Waimea College. Now, on the brink of completing school, the pair confess that part of the reason they were able to put together an entire exhibition, Perceptions, at Art@203 was by being at least a little slack with their final studies.

"Painting is a pretty good excuse not to study," Sarah says.

They have always painted ever since they can remember. It was a way to sit down and do something creative.

"I like seeing things come together, I like the process," Jenn says. "I plucked out things from artists I like. I like the idea of bringing different ideas and mediums together."

They wanted to take the opportunity to show the world through their eyes. Through those eyes, they represent the perceptions of others.

"It's a loosely based inspiration," Sarah says. "Everyone sees things differently, people view our works differently. It's more of an idea that our work means something different for everybody."

One of Jenn's favourites, Clockwork, was supposed to be a portrait of a friend but then she became frustrated and decided to draw a deer's head on the body instead.

At school, Jenn says, you learn how to use gap filler. More often than not, students paint on to paper.

"It's not very strong. All the corners curl up, so you use gap filler to make it a bit more robust." In several of her paintings she takes that message to the next level, layering up the canvas with gap filler stitched together with string.

Sarah likes Better to Be, a work that started out with simply a man's back to the viewer. She happened to be listening to a Liam Finn song at the time, so merged lyrics into the painting. "It doesn't have any particular significance, but I do that with words and songs in your head. It's like a subconscious thing; you just pluck out these phrases and think, `that sounds good'."

Co-owner of the gallery Bob Roderique thinks it is fantastic to see young artists taking the future in their hands. "Pushing to have their first show and advancing themselves like this is great. The experience they will gain from this show will really help them in the future."

The future is just around the corner for the girls. They have year 13 drama on the last day of exams. "That always happens," Jenn says.

Sarah is heading south to Otago to study law and art history. She hopes it will lead into art curatorship.

Jenn just knows she wants to view the world from a little further north. She plans to travel to Canada for a year. "To hang out and do arty things."

But the pair are pretty confident of one thing: They will continue, as they always have, to paint.

Sarah Dickson and Jenn Currie, Perceptions, at Art@203 until November 28.

- © Fairfax NZ News