A graduate from Kelmscott Senior High School has had her artwork displayed at the Art Gallery of Western Australia as part of the Pulse Perspectives.
Pulse Perspectives is an exhibition that displays the work of the top students for visual art in Year 12 each year.
This year Kelmscott High School graduate Cynthia Kuman had her work displayed at the state gallery after she created seven terracotta glazed clay baubles as part of her Year 12 art project last year.
Creating the pieces during the COVID-19 pandemic saw Cynthia get creative with tools, as she created her art from home.
“I had to use my mum’s kitchen utensils because I had none of my clay tools with me at home,” she said.
Despite the challenge of using household items instead of specialised tools, Cynthia enjoyed completing her work in isolation.
“I prefer to work on my art when I’m by myself because it helps me focus on what’s going on and I don’t feel as though I’m being watched,” she said.
The small spheres were made from clay and imprinted with designs inspired by the natural environment.
“My mum has filled the house with parts of nature that she collects as part of her job,” Cynthia said.
“My teacher at school had taught us to use inspiration from the world to imprint onto the pieces we created.”
When painting the pieces with the glaze, Cynthia was unsure of the colours most of the time and was surprised when they came out vibrant and colourful.
“I wasn’t sure how they were going to turn out in the end because of glaze but once they were finished and put through the heat I was very happy.”
Cynthia completed Year 12 at Kelmscott last year and hopes to begin studying at Curtin University later in the year.
“I’m hoping I can do something like architecture or anything really art related,” she said.
