Gibraltar Students Prize 2023

During my GCSE Art, whilst exploring fragmentation and distortion in portraiture, I experimented with different photographical dynamics. I asked my friend to be my model in a photoshoot and it resulted in pouring a bubble bath to capture her beauty and mermaid essence in an abstract perspective. Hesitant at first, my model and I pushed the boundaries when adjusting the fundamentals of lighting and composition until we captured the perfect photo reflecting the beauty within the chaos of water, bubbles, and pink hair. Her striking blue eyes stare directly into the camera creating a focal point.
“Eyes are the window to the soul” William Shakespeare, which perfectly reflects the purity and fragility of the human soul. Bubbles are stereotyped as a childish trigger of happiness, but I have contradicted that and presented them as a deep and meaningful prop to highlight beauty.

This painting is inspired by the art of urban streets, my project focus was signs which is why I had the stop sign stand out more that the rest of the painting. The artist that inspired this style was Shawn Demarest but mainly her ‘Urban Sprawl’ project. I incorporated certain techniques and styles of hers into my painting. This painting was dedicated to a special friend of mine who lives in Canada and went out of her way to take this photo for me to paint, if I do happen to win the competition, I will use the money to fly to see her and hopefully give her this painting as a welcome gift for taking such an amazing photo. My painting also represents the ideas of the suburban lifestyles in Canadian suburbs that we don’t see here in Gibraltar often.

I was immediately inspired by the wonderful colours of nature, the impressive cascades, ancient oaks, and moss-covered beech trees. On a nature walk, which I was fortunate to visit in July 2022, I was carried away into a stunning mythical world. I had the opportunity to paint nature landscapes for my GCSE coursework, and I decided to try using oil paints, which, in my opinion, work very well for this type of artwork. I then soon realised that oil paints were my preferred medium, which was then used throughout my GCSE coursework. The Golitha Falls are a series of spectacular cascades and waterfalls through a section of the River Fowey in Cornwall, named the Goltha Falls National Nature Reserve.

I chose to recreate this oil piece by Lucien Freud. My reinterpretation was in acrylic paint to show a different effect on the model’s face. The portrait has an unsettling look which gives an uncanny valley effect. I chose to research this artist as part of my GCSE coursework as his work is dissimilar to most portraiture artists. Personally, I used this artwork as an inspiration to fabricate it in my own point of view.

I intended to examine the construction around Gibraltar, which disturbs the people and produces a lot of noise pollution, as I was constructing this piece. My travels to Eastern Beach during the summer of 2022 were vibrant, full with families and friends. But I’ve always heard tales about how the construction outside annoys both residents and visitors. This resulted in my using the building as a subject for my A-level course. I used structured pen work to illustrate the amount of noise generated by building, utilising oil paints as a guide to create clusters of cacophony. While creating this piece I needed inspiration for the type of look and style I was looking for, Ian Murphy was a huge help in blending oil paints with fine-liners.

An acrylic painting based on James Kroner’s techniques.

I created this piece to symbolise the beauty of Gibraltar. Gibraltar has been a beacon of my education for which I feel very grateful for and encouraged by. My inspiration for this artwork was Gibraltar National Day so the colours of the flag are infused through the piece and Gibraltar’s iconic Rock is also a key artistic feature.

I painted this as a final piece in my GCSE coursework which as a result I got an A* in. I usually paint faces, flowers and so on but never houses. I then thought as I never paint houses I should experiment with bright colors in a dark setting.

This is a portrait of my reflection. It shows something as simple as mascara being used to portray both femenine and masculine features. I believe anyone should be able to use make-up to express themselves without judgement, no matter their gender. I see make-up as an artistic medium. It can be used in an infinite amount of different ways to create an unlimited amount of art. This painting reflects someone’s first experience experimenting with make-up to express themselves, from the safety of their own room, free from judgement. The ablity to express your true self is a form of the purest happiness on the earth, it should be respected and treasured as everybody has only their own one life to live.

This painting symbolises the ship and the damage that mankind can create when not taken care of properly. The liquified movement of the ship represents the oil spill it produced & the affects it had on our environment. This is a painting of the actual OS35 ship from Gibraltar which i modified to show the oil spill within.

This picture is me duplicated 3 times in my grandparents’ house in Scotland, Glasgow. I needed to do a photoshoot for my Coursework. I didn’t have a plan before the photoshoot until it just clicked, clone photography. This is my first photoshoot of clone photography. I chose to create a sort of ‘Roast Battle’ as it occurs many times in my school. Thank you for giving me this extraordinary opportunity.

This piece was a part of my GCSE coursework, the aim of my coursework was to help beautify rubbish by enhancing the vibrant colours of the things left to the side as well as bringing the picture to life.

My artwork shows the inside of Nefusot Yehuda Synagogue, Gibraltar. I chose this because I grew up going to this synagogue and it has been the beacon of my religion. It one of the historical landmarks in Gibraltar and besides carrying out religious services it is visited regularly by tourists from all around the world.

This is my final piece for the end of my GCSE first year. This piece captures the Impressionistic style of the Renaissance era. I am fascinated with old, worn-down areas and feel a sense of beauty in their tattered, antiquated disarray. The clothing provides movement to the image. Laundry moves, it isn’t like a static wall or building; it has a personalised sensation to it which I wanted to express in my piece.

The piece is composed of colour matching, capturing light and how it compromised aspects of the painting along with bringing to life the textured feeling of the picture. The story behind this image is that of a painter that lives in the frayed homes of upper town Gibraltar. His clothing is what I have captured along with the aged surroundings he lives in.

The white staining in encapsulates who this image represents. Where the perspective of the illustration envelops the living of the more lower-class working lifestyle, in the deficient and fatty disarray of society.

The piece is composed of colour matching, capturing light and how it compromised aspects of the painting along with bringing to life the textured feeling of the picture. The story behind this image is that of a painter that lives in the frayed homes of upper town Gibraltar. His clothing is what I have captured along with the aged surroundings he lives in. The image is representative of the more former and antiqued livings that still remain in our modernized society.

The white staining is fundamental in encapsulating who this image represents. Where the perspective of the illustration envelops the living of the more lower class working lifestyle in the deficient and fatty disarray of society.

This painting holds a great significance in my life as it is my favourite beach. Rota beach is very special to me, and this painting shows the moment the ‘Patata Man’ (the man that sells crisps on the beach) stops for customers. He rings his bell so that everybody knows he’s there.

During my GCSE year I increased my knowledge of and gained confidence in painting with acrylics. As part of my development I investigated different objects and scenes that worked best with my style of painting. Whilst testing old and recycled aluminium cans I realised by painting in acrylics I was able to make the scene lifelike. As the theme was recycled and rubbish I experimented and found cardboard offered an interesting media. Roughening up and ripping areas of the cardboard gave more texture and effect to my piece. I gathered inspiration to use cardboard from Daniel Butterworth as he was famous for painting on cardboard. William Eggleston gave me the idea of cans as he worked with PopArt and focused on one object

I draw my inspiration from the wondrous gift that is nature. Growing up by the ocean, I cherish the soothing rhythms of the waves, the invigorating sea air, and the countless memories it weaves. However, I’ve come to realise that many take nature for granted, often abusing it for selfish desires. The weight of humanity’s impact on our environment, the delicate balance of life, and the vital, cleansing role of the sea weighs heavy on my heart.
Motivated by this awareness, I embarked on a painting project to convey the guilt that comes with being part of our planet’s decline. Through a trilogy of exquisite oysters against a sombre backdrop, I emphasise the beauty and significance of our oceans, likening them to a filter that purifies our world. The oysters symbolise hope for positive change, much like how they transform sand into precious pearls. The dark background accentuates the urgency of global warming.
The intricate details in my art invite observers to feel a sense of responsibility for our planet. Each individual plays a role in creating a more sustainable world. The pearl-less oysters symbolise the work that remains to be done. My hope is that this trilogy serves as a reminder of the exquisite gift of nature and the pressing need to address climate change, ensuring that future generations can continue to marvel at its wonders.

For my A-level mock exam, I investigated an unhealthy relationship with makeup & beauty due to societal pressure. This piece is about being so obsessive and compulsive with beauty & the finer details it is to the point where it becomes destructive. I used real red lipstick & lip liner for the blood & the lips to emphasise the connection between makeup & its destructive nature.

This piece displays two figures, which are both depictions of myself. The angel in the foreground represents “good”, as indicated by the halo, which is radiating a profound light upon everything. However, the angel is being whispered to by the “evil” angel in the background, showing how “good” and “evil” are influenced by each other, and emphasises that they are not as polarised as everyone believes. Ultimately, one cannot exist without the other.
The composition was inspired by Alexandre Cabanel’s “The Fallen Angel”. The emotion captured in his piece perfectly matched my vision of angels, as it focuses on the duality between “good” and “evil”. Similar pieces and styles from the Renaissance period also greatly inspired me, such as the chiaroscuro technique, infamously employed by Caravaggio, which allowed me to create strong contrasts between luminosity and shadows. I also worked with a selection of cold-toned colours, that contributed to the dramatic nature of the composition.

This piece is inspired by Jenny Saville with her squashed face piece. I have done this piece for my A level coursework. It was used because of my chosen personal category linked with emotions. I chose this category because of the difficult time I had dealing with a family member having a fatal illness last year.