"My final artwork was inspired by my wish to explore how social media influences a teenager’s mental health and self-perception. The triptych oil painting was influenced by several artists researched throughout my folio. This topic was conceptually appealing to me for its emotive nature, and I hoped to communicate the consequences of a life online. I intended to only use primary photographs, capturing images of the people around me for artistic references. Beginning with an exploration of Adam Neate, I was interested in his saturated blurring technique used to display his subjects confused desperation. I developed a similar smudging technique through an oil self-portrait, appreciating the visual aesthetic of the distorted faces."

Voting for the 2022 Credit Union SA Community Award is now closed.