Art beat
MAKING HER MARK A Palmerston art teacher is inspiring her students by getting out and brightening up walls across the Top End
SINCE taking the conscious step to really push her own practice, artist and teacher Polly Johnstone has gone from painting in her classroom to painting on walls. In the past 12 months, Johnstone has made her mark around town with several murals, and picked up the top award at the Darwin Community Legal Service’s Rights on Show.
As an art teacher at Palmerston College by day, finding the time and creative energy to push her own career has had a positive impact on her students.
“Obviously as a teacher you give a lot of yourself to you students — but I found it quite important to focus on my own art and to be a practising artist to inspire the students,” she said. “It’s not just talking the talk — I’m doing it as well.
“I hope that my passion for visual arts extends to them. Even if it’s not art, I hope they can find something they’re really passionate about as well.
“I think if you’ve got something that drives you, that’s something you can go back to and can be your meditation time, or your time to think and be yourself.”
Johnstone first came to Darwin in 2005 and studied art at several different institutions — Adelaide Central School of Art, Charles Darwin University, University of South Australia and spent six months at San Diego State University in California.
“Each different university had a different focus so it gave me quite a well-rounded approach to visual art,” Johnstone said.
“Adelaide Central was quite technical while Uni SA and CDU were more conceptual and the experience in the States was just amazing.”
She settled back in the Top End in 2009 and has been teaching for the past four years, but felt compelled to prove to herself that she could do more outside of the classroom.
“I saw quite a lot of things going on around Darwin and I would always say to myself ‘I could do that’ but I never pushed myself to put my hand up and do it,” she said.
“Last year I really wanted to focus back on myself a bit and throw myself out there.”
Since taking the step, Johnstone has received funding for murals in both rounds of Darwin Live Arts and is working towards her first solo exhibition.
Her next Darwin Live project and her exhibition are focused on strong women — a reflection of the increasing power and voice women have globally, but also something more personal. Six years ago, Johnstone’s older sister died of bowel cancer.
At 32 she is approaching the age her sister, 10 years her senior, was when she succumbed to her illness after a three-year battle.
“The main catalyst for my exhibition is based around my sister,” she said.
“She’s really the strongest woman I know and that’s what inspired me to do it.”
Johnstone will paint a portrait referencing the strength of women.
“I’ll be creating representations of strong women, not painting famous people,” she said.
“I’m getting a photo shoot together with some local models and a style to create images for me to paint.”
She said the strength she wanted to portray wasn’t just about having a voice to stand up against oppression, but also personal strength.
“It’s someone who has confidence in themselves and someone who is not afraid to be who they are — whether that’s crazy, strong, happy or having a cry when you need to.”
Her exhibition will be at the Darwin Visual Arts Association in October and she’ll be around town painting on walls until then.