FAMILY SECRETS by Julia Clark

Unavowed Domesticity Laced With An Intimate Familiarity

by  Julia Clark

Year 12 Major Art Piece, 2012

FAMILY SECRETS

                                                Eyes hiding behind the lace on the wooden tray.

Sewn around the outer edge are ribbons of words relating to Family Secrets.

Lace Doily showing shattered and cracked by using embroidery thread.

Nothing is as it appears.

                                 Treasure box holding old love letters and a photos from times past.

Treasure box, bowls and flowers made by moulding doilies around everyday family objects.

       Bowls have printed cloth ribbons woven through them showing secrets many families hide from  the  outside world;    Debt, Suicide, Abuse, Death, Divorce and more.

                                       

Conjoined Twins

Bowl showing woven ribbons.

To the right is a doily, on it is written one of Julia's poems in pen and ink.

We are bound by the Secrets we Share.

Collage surrounded by pen and sepia ink drawing.

Stencilling on wood tray showing protection through marriage.

All the items used, plaques, trays, doilies, etc were sourced at many antique shops, markets & secondhand shops here in NSW as well as Tasmania. The wonderful shelf unit, which tied the whole piece together was found at our local Tip Shop or Buy Back Shop at the recycle plant.

Art Teacher gave each student a trick gift relating to the highs and lows  involved in the process of getting their works to the finished stage for this exhibit and marking. 

Julia received stick on lace, silhouettes, and olde world images she had been searching out all year.

Found at the dollar shop, a little late, but very funny.

Poster for 2012 Visual Art Exhibit

Well done everyone!

This was a long, tough road for Julia.  She will be the first to tell you, "I am no artist". 

 I am proud of her, and her efforts in firstly finding a medium she could work with;

then coming up with her vision to portray Family Secrets. 

As you can see it was a small art class with only 12 students in all.

The student's works were varied and well executed. 

From a wonderful animation by Paul, to a fantastic huge branch and rusty fence wire nest (which I loved), Claire Pullan's work showing movement through dance in a series of large panels was very well done. Along with a series of fantastic underwater photographs, portraits in pencil and photography, installation art and bubble gum.  Yes - bubble gum. An interesting reproduction of Starry Night in bubble gum on the bottom of a school desk, by Duncan Corrigan. 

Varied indeed.