Parkin PrizeMy name is Felix Conlan, I am fifteen years old, and located in South Canterbury. In my artistic journey, I draw inspiration from pencil artist Jono Dry - his crisp and detailed imagery is incredible. I attend Mountainview High School and I have been attending art tutoring with Wayne Patrick who has worked alongside me for the last two years building my artistic knowledge and skills, and expanding into other mediums such as painting. I also work closely with my Mountainview high school art teacher Miss Miller. Pencil drawing remains my passion and I have been fortunate enough to win several local art awards, including the YMCA Supreme Art Award and the Aigantighe Art Gallery Award in 2023.
My work to date has focused on producing highly detailed images of everyday objects, recently I have moved towards capturing the detail and expressiveness of eyes and hands. My entry to Parkin Award draws from my experience on a recent trip to Japan. The artwork titled "Eye Opener" carries significant symbolism for me as it represents the collective support I received from my Sensei, Mothers, and other individuals who supported my goal of fundraising for a school trip to Japan. I was lucky enough to have several commissions to fund this trip and in turn created this piece to capture the experience, as it literally was an eye opener for me! I am grateful for the help and mentorship I received to be apart of the experience of being in another country. As a young artist it is important to me to be able to gain different perspectives and experiences to use within my art.
My dream is to establish myself in the art world, continually expand my artistic skills, and hopefully to chase a career in the Arts. This year will be my first time entering the Parkin Drawing Award and I have been inspired to enter after seeing the work of past finalists. I am very excited to be able to showcase some of my more recent pieces and contribute to our community!
Reminiscence (Hand)
The reason behind this piece was for me to see how far I've come in pencil and paper. At the very beginning of my first year of high school in 2022, I decided to put my best effort into sketching my hand. Since then, I've undergone significant growth as a person and as an artist. In light of this, I've dedicated my maximum effort to revitalise it two years later in the same composition while pouring all my creative energy into it. This piece is my journey and I feel it represents that.
Eye opener (Eye)
This piece represents all the time and effort that my Sensei, my Mothers and everyone else along the way, put in to help reach my goal of taking part in my schools 2024 Japan Trip. The experience has been life changing and I owe it all to them. The Eye is being pried open by two pairs of chopsticks, representing the times I was dragged across the line by others. In the reflection of the eye is Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple we visited during our time in Tokyo.
