THS student’s art wins at exhibition

A fledgling artist was “gobsmacked” to learn she had clinched the top prize in a local exhibition.
Lauren Harrison was one of the students from Thames High School who took part in
an exhibition at Thames Art Gallery in August, hosted by the Thames Society of Arts.
Her four submissions, including one that explored the sea and marine life, were recognised by the judges and Lauren won first prize and $500.
“When I heard the news it was overwhelming,” she said. “To hear that my work was really appreciated and acknowledged made my heart melt.”
Lauren said she wasn’t able to attend the prize giving, but after finding out the news at school, she initially didn’t believe it.
She said her parents were “over the moon” for her as she had been painting for as long as she could remember.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I would always be making messes around the house with all the new creations I would be playing with,” she said.
“I entered the exhibition last year with three canvas pieces but unfortunately didn’t place; however, this was a good learning experience for me as I was able to see what the judges were after and what I could experiment with in the future.”
Lauren’s creations this year included a beach landscape and a sunset, a portrait of a cow, and a marine scene depicting a fish and an octopus using complementary colours.
“I have always loved the beach and the country,” she told The Profile, “and the cow, beach and sunset pieces were all inspired by the beautiful nature of New Zealand.
“I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this experience, from being able to experiment and play with colour, to trying out new mark making techniques. I had a bunch of untouched canvases lying around so I thought I would put them to good use by entering new and unique pieces to the competition.”
Thames High School’s art department head Sam Rogers said it was the third year the exhibition had offered awards and the first time it was open to entries from all Year 11-13s from schools in the area.
“It is wonderful that the arts society promotes the art of young people in the community, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to get our work out there and displayed in such a professional setting,” Sam said.
Thames High student leaders Ruby Malloy and Baromey Rous gained third and second place in the competition, respectively.