Farming and weather inspired Tayah to excel

For a young student from a wheat and sheep farm near Hyden, the expression, emotions and ideas represented in her artwork induce goosebumps from her teacher, her family and a wider audience.

Tayah Holmes is the epitome of modest, unpretentious and humble and is determined that she is not really very good at art.

But her work - which incorporates materials and ideas from her family's farm - have seen her win a coveted spot in the annual Art Gallery of WA (AGWA) Pulses Exhibition of year 12 ATAR art, which opens in Perth next month.

"I never noticed that I was particularly interested in art," Tayah explained.

"I think there are so many others that are better than me."

AGWA begs to differ, as does Tayah's teacher and mentor for four years, Danielle Glucina, Penrhos College visual art specialist.

Growing up in the country on the family farm, just out of Hyden towards Pingaring, Tayah is the fourth generation on the land, along with older brother Rhylee and younger sister Sienna.

Inspiration for art is never in short supply, being surrounded by the farming and bush landscapes and this was intensified by the profound connection to the land Tayah clearly feels.

Having attended primary school in Hyden, Tayah had a year off when she was nine.

"We travelled around Australia and were home schooled," she said.

That year with mum Jacinta, dad Colin, and her siblings was fun and educational.

Moving into high school, Tayah commuted about an hour each way to Kulin for year seven.

Then in year eight, her life changed and she started on the path that would lead to her being an unexpectedly celebrated artist.

"I moved to Perth to board at Penrhos College in year eight," Tayah said.

"I went from having 20 people in my year to 200 people in my year, it was a big change."

A big part of the reason Tayah enjoyed her time boarding at Penrhos was the camaraderie she found with Ms Glucina.

"I loved my teacher," Tayah said.

"She was the reason I continued art all the way through and did ATAR.

"I had no intention of doing fine art at university but I enjoyed the class and her teaching and guidance."

Tayah said the mark she received for her ATAR project wasn't bad, but she thought her classmates had produced amazing work and was surprised her art had been chosen to be part of Pulse.

"I was happy with the mark but just didn't expect for my work to be chosen over my very talented classmates," she said.

From an initial total of 300 entries Tayah's pieces made it into the final 60 that will make up the AGWA exhibition.

Ms Glucina was very moved to have had such a great rapport with Tayah, especially finding out that she was the reason Tayah had continued to take art as part of her studies through to year 12.

"What a lovely thing to say," Ms Glucina said.

"Building a connection with a student over several years is a privilege.

"Knowing students well and learning about their interests and passions is at the heart of great teaching."

Ms Glucina said there was a certain affinity with the girls who boarded at Penrhos, as they spent so much time away from home.

"Tayah is a very capable artist," Ms Glucina said.

"She completed a wonderful self-portrait and ceramic vessel in year 11, which gave her more experience and confidence to approach year 12."

Describing the process of producing her practical artwork for submission, Tayah said there was no particular theme dictated and students could include as many artworks as they wanted in whatever medium.

"The art was to be teacher-guided and could be clay sculptures, sketches, paintings or whatever," Tayah said.

"It just had to be within a certain size and weight limit as it had to be sent to the adjudicators.

"We also had to write a 300-word paragraph about our work."

Ms Glucina said in the year 12 visual art course, students have the freedom to pursue their own ideas and decide how to transform them into their artwork.

"I always encourage them to start with a concept they know well, something they are passionate about - something that is going to sustain their interest for most of the year," she said.

"Tayah knew she wanted to make her artwork about farming, which is incredibly diverse.

"As she honed in on the concept of rain, she quickly identified her focus and dedicated herself to creating lots of beautiful cloud paintings."

Tayah said while she was inspired by rain, clouds and thunderstorms, her idea of what she would design changed from her first thoughts.

"I was going to do little ant sculptures, because they are always active before rain," Tayah said.

"Then I was planning on doing a cloud wool sculpture.

"I finally settled on the shirt."

It was easy to understand the strong connection Tayah had to rain, clouds and thunderstorms, as it is something every farmer understands.

The weather and rain, in particular, holds the promise of so much and are integral to farming success and survival.

Once her concept was devised, Tayah's next creative hurdle was being able to capture an image of a thunderstorm over the farm using the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) radar.

"I would check BoM regularly, every chance I could," Tayah said.

"I waited for around a week before I was able to get a screenshot of one."

The next task was to transfer the image to one of her dad's old farm work shirts, another poignant link to her home and the hard work that every farmer and farming family pours into their life on the land.

An excerpt from Tayah's artist statement also includes her second painting, which was an image of their farm painted onto a pillow case.

"My body of work consists of two paintings, an oil on cotton landscape and an acrylic painting on a worn work shirt," Tayah said.

"I chose to paint onto ready-made items, to show a link between a farmer's home life and their connection to the land.

"The landscape painting is from a photograph taken at my farm.

"I chose to paint on a pillowcase as it signifies the work-life connection that farmers have, it represents the tireless efforts that come as a guarantee in the agricultural industry.

"This shows both the stress that reliance on the weather causes, and the relieved pressure the promise of a good rain can bring.

"The second painting is on one of my dad's well-worn work shirts.

"I have painted a screenshot of a rain radar forecast over my family farm.

"Farmers always monitor the rain, it is essential to their livelihood.

"Symbolically, the forecast is on my father's chest, it connects his heart, our family, our life and the success of our farm, to what falls from the sky.

"The paintings hang from a farmhouse washing line.

"Racing to get the washing from the line is a shared experience for many farm kids - it's a loathed chore, stained with the delight of imminent rain to come."

When asked what made Tayah's work standout and why she chose to submit it to AGWA, Ms Glucina said it was the emotional connection palpable in her work and the way it ties seamlessly to her family and her home.

"Tayah's body of work presents a distinctive point of view on an issue that resonates with most Australians, not just those in regional areas," Ms Glucina said.

"It is elegant in its simplicity and I find it very moving, especially painting on dad's worn work shirt.

"My teaching mentor used to say when a student's concept gave her goosebumps, she knew it was going to be a sure thing.

" Let's just say, Tayah's work definitely gave me goosebumps.

"I will always remember Tayah's family coming to our art exhibition and seeing her work on display.

"They were all so proud."

Tayah said her interest in soil science was something she would like to pursue in the future, and would allow her to remain living in the country, where she feels at home.

She feels art is more a hobby and not something she has considered pursuing professionally, even though her work has gained such praise and recognition.

The Pulse 2024 exhibition celebrates young artists who have considered what is meaningful to them and important for the future of our society.

Almost 300 student works were submitted for this year's exhibition, making the final selection a challenging choice for the judges.

It delivers bold ideas and thoughtful examination of current issues.

Sixty works by 2023 year 12 visual arts graduates were selected from 36 schools across WA.

"This year's exhibition offers a fascinating survey of the curious and creative spirit of WA's young artists" said Bahar Sayed, AGWA's associate curator of contemporary art and Pulse 2024 curator.

Exhibiting artists examine universal themes and pressing issues such as consumerism, environmentalism, misogyny, connections to family and culture, body and social pressures and aspirations.

"The artworks exhibited in Pulse illustrate the phenomenal sensitivity, intelligence, talent and insights of young people responding to the stories and complexities of our times," said AGWA's head of learning and creativity research Lilly Blue

"Through wider Pulse programming, AGWA is committed to ensuring young people take centre stage in major arts institutions and we are leading by example, amplifying young voices and emerging creatives across disciplines, and ensuring genuine pathways into the arts are visible and accessible."

In its 32nd year, AGWA further amplifies Pulse by inviting WA's talented young creatives to unleash their energy, creativity, innovation, and subversion for one big opening weekend.

The program commences with the annual exhibition opening to the public on Saturday, April 6, along with a three-day Pulsefest celebrating youth creativity across multiple art forms.

Fashion, music, writing, performance and dance all are given a platform across an opening weekend.

The editor's choice award recipient will receive $2500.

The people's choice awards is open to voting from 6.30pm, Friday, April 5 until 5pm, Sunday, September 1.

The student artist whose work receives the most votes will receive $2500.

The school the artist attended will receive an AGWA workshop and tour package and one lucky voter will win a $100 AGWA Design Store voucher.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Pulse 2024, The Art Gallery of WA, April 6-October 6, free entry.

To book a guided tour for your school group, email educate@artgallery.wa.gov.au