De La Salle Cronulla students have excelled at the Clancy Art Prize currently on exhibition at the McGlade Gallery at the Australian Catholic University, Strathfield.Laurah Tapas took out the Major Clancy Prize of $2000 and Jessica Gledhill took the $1000 Brian Jordan Prize. These prizes are for artworks of a religious or sacred nature and are run annually by Sydney Catholic Schools. This year’s theme was Family and Laurah responded with a portrait of Mum, Dad and her brother Komet. Laurah, a Shire resident since childhood, captured the close bonds of traditional family life in New Guinea and how that continues in today’s culturally diverse Australian society.
Laurah worked on Hessian with acrylic paint, rendering each family member in a T shirt of their favourite colour. Jessica painted a work inspired by the Me Too movement depicting the women who survived emotionally testing relationships with the artist, Picasso. It celebrates the strength of women who sacrifice so much in difficult family relationships.