Winning secondary school painting depicts climate change crisis

Kavanagh College art pupil Rosie Auckram’s triptych draws inspiration from Monet — particularly in the way she painted the same image again and again, each just slightly different. Image: Rosie Auckram
Kavanagh College art pupil Rosie Auckram’s triptych draws inspiration from Monet — particularly in the way she painted the same image again and again, each just slightly different. Image: Rosie Auckram
For the better part of this year, one of Rosie Auckram’s paintings has kept people guessing about all the possible hidden meanings behind it.

The 16-year-old Kavanagh College pupil is delighted it has won the 2019 Otago Daily Times Secondary Scene Award for Excellence in Art, but is just as pleased by all the speculation it has fuelled.

Rosie Auckram
Rosie Auckram
She said she aimed to create a painting that viewers could take their own meanings from.

‘‘They can decide what they think it means.’’

Having said that, the beautiful piece does have a hidden message — one she is now ready to share.

Rosie is an environmentalist at heart and has been a regular supporter at climate change protest marches this year.

She is concerned about the impact of climate change on the planet, and the painting shows this by looking at human-made cities through the eyes of nature.

‘‘You can see it in the reflection.

‘‘The worst case scenario is that all nature gets wiped out, but this painting shows what would happen if nature fought back — like the water covering the buildings and the fish coming back.

‘‘The paintings are also separated into dawn, midday and dusk, which shows that it takes time for these things to happen, for us to fix the problems that we’ve created.

‘‘I think it’s really important to voice your opinions about the environment. In a way, my painting is a more subtle way of voicing my opinions.’’

The painting is part of Rosie’s NCEA level 2 art portfolio, and she plans to study art again next year.

Although she does not plan to pursue art at university, she says it will still play a major part in her tertiary education.

She has an Instagram account which she uses for artwork commissions, and the money she makes from the commissions goes straight into her savings account for her university studies.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

Add a Comment