Congratulations to Year 12 student Sara Cope who has been shortlisted for TOP ARTS 2021. Notably, this is the second consecutive year Sara has been shortlisted; for her work in VCE Studio Art last year and for VCE Art this year under the guidance of her proud teacher Janet Leith. This year, Sara has been shortlisted for a series of ‘Layered Landscape’ reduction lino print artworks.

She is very excited to be in the running now for this prestigious exhibition held at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of the VCAA Season of Excellence.

Janet Leith explained, “The process now for Sara is that her artwork and visual diary will be viewed along with over 100 other selected students, from which a panel from the gallery select between 40-50 students for the final TOP ARTS 2021 exhibition.”

“Over 1000 A+/A Victorian students usually enter to be selected for TOP ARTS each year.”

“Sara has worked really hard throughout the year and is a very talented and capable young lady. This is a great achievement for her and she should be congratulated on her dedication and effort during such a difficult and challenging year.”

Sara explains her pieces in her artist statement below:

“My concept of Layers, represents the layering of materials, colours, and different shapes in my art. Layers also represent our identity and I think that the layers of my artworks are made up of my art style, experience of growing up on a farm and my personality. Conceptually, the natural environment around me was crucial to the development of my final artworks. Personally, I gathered inspiration and subject matter from landscapes on my farm and the surrounding roads.

My artwork “Layered Landscape 1” highlights the layers, through the Reduction printmaking process by layering simple, well-defined colours and shapes of a fluid panoramic landscape. This landscape was inspired by the subject matter of the dam and surrounding tree line on my farm.

My second artwork “Layered landscape 2” also highlights layers through the Construction of the collagraph block that was used to print a set of three colourful prints in a triptych. All three prints demonstrate different variations of the triangular shapes through, different layers, different orientations and variations in the amount of detail. This artwork was inspired by the texture and shapes seen in the corrugations of a gravel road.”