HILLCREST High School’s art department is justifiably proud of its star pupil, Ruby Judd who achieved 100 per cent for visual art in the matric final exams.
Ruby, who achieved 6As and 1C in the year end exams, has always loved art. She recollects her mom handing her paper and paint brushes from a young age and says she was more interested in art than playing with Barbie dolls.
The final matric topic was Time which gave learners a wide scope for their imagination to run wild. Having found her niche in portraits, Ruby decided to concentrate on three self portraits of herself – as a baby, young child and as a teenager- showing the passage of time in her changing facial features.
“It is very interesting drawing yourself. You notice things you didn’t notice before. It is also quite nostalgic looking back at times in your life and how you have changed.”
Using charcoal as her technique of choice and working from photos of herself, Ruby worked on huge sheets of paper to create the massive self portraits which concentrated on her facial features. The final exam consisted of three days, six hours each day which gave Ruby just a day per drawing. The learners also had to submit a portfolio with their work showing their thought process behind their artwork.
“I like working big as it gives you lots of freedom. Also the charcoal allows you to create a smudged, abstract look.”
Ruby is planning on studying for a BA at UKZN’s Howard College concentrating on linguistics and poetry in her first year and possibly majoring in media studies later on. She would love to work in the field of digital art media or graphic design.
Head of Visual Art at Hillcrest High School, Mrs Bronwyn Nicholas was delighted with Ruby’s success. “I am so proud of Ruby and the rest of our 2013 Visual Arts class (19 distinctions for art overall). It was a pleasure to teach learners who worked with such enthusiasm and commitment to the subject. Our Visual Arts learners have consistently achieved excellent results over the past few years, with Amy Booth also achieving a 100 per cent overall mark for 2012. Many of last year’s matrics represented the school and won awards in exhibitions and art competitions held locally. Some of our recent past learners have gone on to study further in the fields of Fine Arts and Design.”
Hillcrest High School matrics achieved a total of 300 distinctions. Sinmiloluwa Onyebilanma (Dux), obtained 9 distinctions, Thembelilhe Magutshwa (Proxime Accesit Dux) and Priyanka Sivlal (third in Grade 12) each achieved 8 distinctions. Five learners achieved six distinctions each, while 11 students achieved five distinctions each.
