Thomas

A  passion for running and drawing

'Motion Capture is about expressing movement, motion and stretch while expressing my absolute love of running and exercise,' Thomas said. 

'The underlying theme is self-belief; if you are determined and work hard at something incredible things can happen. It can take weeks, months or sometimes a whole life time but it is so worth it.

'These pieces are expressing a dedication to and love of exercise, in particular running. Determination and preparation are key to keeping a body fit and strong. 

'I learnt to walk on a walking frame after a brain haemorrhage at birth, and spent years in all sorts of physical therapy, it has been a long road both physically and mentally to fulfil my dream of being so strong and fit. 

'My artistic style is messy, free, loose grip sketching with ink overlay, mostly using a continuous line of ink. This year I have focused on myself as the subject. It's fast, loose and messy, using the splatters to show the energy points.

'Art in particular has been a huge release during tough times, I can't always express myself in written form but it all comes out so easily in my sketches. 

'Being able to combine my love of running with my passion for drawing in these pieces of work is so rewarding.

'My hope is that maybe someone seeing this work will feel inspired to change their life.'

Stretch, movement and pace

'It's incredible for me to be included in ArtRage, it reinforces what family and friends say to me about my art, always encouraging me that I have a real talent,' Thomas said. 

'At the beginning of the year I didn't think I would be able to cope with the course and became quite stressed as I find the written work difficult. But with the support of so many I found my groove and I am so pleased I kept going. 

'It brings so much happiness to be part of ArtRage and I can't wait to see all the other works from other students!

'I hope to find a space where I can continue to create my art works and maybe find a mentor to help me turn my passion into something that works for me for the future. I would like to move on to drawing other people and maybe objects and see where this takes me.

'I studied Art Production last year and that really prepared me for Art Studio Practice this year and gave me a lot more confidence to free up and relax. I have difficulty with working memory and focus and art subjects are the only level 3 subjects that I have done for my Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE). 

'In the beginning I didn't think I would be able to manage them but it is such a great opportunity to express everything you feel on paper, using your creative mind and is such a release.

'For me, running makes me feel energised, it makes me feel alive and it is something I know I do well. 

'When I run, I concentrate on keeping steady, maintaining my pace and focus on my breathing. I don't need to think about the other things in my life, such as school and study. It is an escape.

'For me to run, I need to be well prepared. I need to eat, sleep, hydrate and most importantly stretch. 

'In this folio of self-portraits I capture the importance of the stretching in preparing to run and also the run itself. My drawings convey this through a range of line-work to show movement, energy and focus.

'I hope that when people view my work they feel the energy within, that they can see stretch, movement and pace.'

My advice to student artists

'Explore ideas in the holidays, make lots of pieces, fill your journals with everything you think and feel. It doesn't have to be perfect (I found that difficult in the beginning), practice your desired technique, and most of all have fun and enjoy it.'