Year 12 Visual Arts Profile: Ruby Staines

This week we chat with Year 12 Visual Arts student Ruby Staines, who shares the inspiration and story behind her artwork.

What is your artwork about?

My artwork makes a comment on the seclusion of inner subjectivity as a mysterious notion of the human individual.

In more depth, the artwork is a reflection of how each person has so much potential as a unique individual. However, they don’t always strive to fulfil this potential, as a result of fearing rejection and discouragement in modern-day society.

With my artwork, I tried to manipulate colour to accentuate the mystery of lost opportunities within each of us and open up thought about the hidden gems that were once covered up by the dribbles of society. 

What or who is the inspiration behind your artwork?

The inspiration behind the style of the artwork is Wade Taylor and Istvan Sandorfi. I love their use of colour in all of their artworks.

However, the inspiration behind the idea came from the general thought of having to pick a direction for my life as I enter into the big world next year. Therefore, the idea is based on the pondering and uncertainty that each person in my cohort is somewhat subject to throughout this time. 

Who is your favourite artist and why?

My favourite artist is Sam Tan because of his creativity in crafting unique characters and landscapes that are somewhat imagined. I love his grasp on conveying emotions and particular atmospheres through symbolic figures and warm and cool colour tones.

What is your favourite medium to work in and why?

I love to work with oil paints because they provide so much flexibility in colour mixing and blending on the canvas. They also allow me to make different colours from simple primary colours. The fact that they take longer to dry also provides me with the ability to come back and rework the same area of the artwork without having to start from scratch.

What do you love most about art?

I love the encouragement everyone in the Art department gives to each other. We are able to celebrate the successes and unique talents of each person. This makes Visual Arts, as a subject, feel super rewarding and inclusive. We always have like-minded people to help guide our artworks and offer constructive feedback to each other.