Stella Edmondson: 2024 - ‘Unveiled’

Unveiled is about discovering your spirituality through embracing your individuality. Stella explains that ‘I believe spirituality is both a connection to others and the environment as well as being connected with yourself’. The vibrant tones used for the skin and hair in the strip of colour highlight your inner light shining through, with these colours spreading across the face as you embrace your spirituality and the unknown. This piece is meant to be a sign of hope and an acknowledgement of spiritual understanding.

Lilliana McKinlay: 2023 'Interdependence’

Interdependence is an ink and fineliner pen piece depicting the endangered native species, the helmeted honey eater. Interdependence communicates the spiritual concept of animism, the belief that all living and non-living parts of an ecosystem possess a purpose. The work depicts the helmeted honey easter coexisting with other native flora and fauna, forming a fragile, yet complex ecosystem. Each part of the ecosystem relies on each other for survival and prosperity, creating an interdependent connection.

Quentin Lewin: 2022 – ‘Loose Threads’

Loose Threads is an abstract self-portrait created using recycled fabrics from around the artist’s home. Quentin expresses that, “the use of multiple arms shows my internal battle with my spirituality, with each arm pulling the threads in different directions”. Loose Threads is about finding your true self, reconnecting with your spirituality and the struggle involved to rediscover personal and religious beliefs. The pressure to conform to societal expectations is stronger than ever, forcing us to push our true beliefs aside. This piece is about letting yourself be free to have faith.

Lilah Harrington and Leah Edwards: 2021 – ‘Amongst the Waves’

Amongst the waves is about community and ‘the bigger picture’. Each rolled piece of paper symbolises a member of society, contributing to the larger image we see. Within the image, we are able to exist separately while still maintaining a vital role, none more important than another.

Katherine Rawson: 2019 – ‘Growth’

This series of pen drawings focus on personal and innate growth. Using the subject matter of a tree as a catalyst, the artwork explores the fundamental changes and developments each individual experiences existentially as an inherent result of their own faults, hardships, joys and relationships. The work aims to acknowledge that this growth impacts the spiritual substance of a person whereby flaws and beauty intermingle. 

Tarryn Farley: 2018 - Nature Does Nothing in Vain

Everything happens for a reason. As seen in this digital photograph, Nature Does Nothing in Vain, every droplet of water is planned and makes a difference to the plant. Similarly, each person is created in the image of God and has a purpose in this world. Tarryn explains that “each droplet of water in this photograph represents a person. Each one of us is important in contributing to the well-being and happiness of others. Every small act of kindness builds a community’s strength; no act is too small. As in the photograph, every small droplet can come together to form a bigger droplet, just as every small act of kindness contributes to building a better world.”  

Ella Sendall: 2017 – ‘Tarni’

Ella’s photograph was taken at the Lourdes Hill College Santa Teresa Immersion in July 2017. It shows a baby girl from the Women’s Centre holding an LHC student’s hand as they prepared meals for members of the community. The Arrernte people have found a balance between their ancient Spirituality and Catholicism. The success of Santa Teresa’s community lies in their acknowledgement of the past, whilst embracing the future. ‘Tarni’ represents a place where racism and bigotry cannot exist as we recognise, accept and celebrate the differences in all human beings. 

Lia Drivas: 2016 – ‘Bianca’

Taking the concept of our lives being a journey, Lia explored the concept of youth through the fresh faces of teenagers. The developmental years are an important part of life’s journey; it is during our youth that we find out who we are. We encounter the aspects in life that we most like such as hobbies, new found passions and what gives us our ‘spark’. Lia’s photograph is named after the model, Bianca Hart. This photo focuses on Bianca’s eyes and facial expressions. The eyes are a symbol of wisdom, sight and individuality as no two people are the same. Facial expressions can provide us with a glimpse into a person’s story. The tones, colour and shadows on the photo have been created through layered images. The effect is to represent the inner emotions, feelings and spirituality of a young person; colourful, fun, reckless and expressive.

Cheyenne Nicholson: 2015 – ‘Translucent Travel’

Cheyenne’s work represents not only hers, but all of our ‘spiritual walks’ in search of meaning in our ‘everyday life.’ Cheyenne chose to transform digital photographs of her recent physical journey in the USA.  Through a variety of artistic techniques, Cheyenne has layered the photographic images one upon the other to create the ultimate journey within one new image. Metaphorically speaking, Cheyenne’s transformed physical journey now represents the depth of one’s inner spiritual walk in the pursuit of purpose, meaning and identity.

Delphine Shawcross: 2014 – ‘Aeternus’ 

Delphine’ work, ‘Aeternus’, captures the transience of life. It encourages the viewer to consider the themes of death and rebirth that permit the continuation of the life cycle, with no beginning or end. Through her simplistic, yet beautiful cyanotypes, Delphine has captured the intricate details of a dead plant and has transformed our view of death by acknowledging the inner beauty of each life form.

Kathleen Stevenson-Cameron: 2013 - ‘Lourdes Hill College’

This artwork by Kathleen Stevenson-Cameron depicts the (old) entrance to Lourdes Hill College. The sense of depth created by the use of geometric shapes and lines is intended to draw the viewer in, immersing them in the spiritually rich culture of the College. The natural media juxtaposed with the stylised image represent the Lourdanian belief that all things hold some kind of significant spiritual value. The image is made using a method called pyrography which is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks.

Caitlyn Chambers: 2012 – ‘Delicacy and Beauty’

The photographs that constitute Cailyn’s work are that of gowns worn for receiving the sacraments. The gowns have a somewhat ethereal quality since they are represented as fragile and transparent, and yet the artist has made them ‘permanent’ and ‘fixed’. This gives the sense of transcendence needed for the spiritual theme. Baptism and Eucharist are seen as the most important of the Catholic sacraments and this focus on the material aspect, the white gowns worn, leads the viewer to consider the innocence of the child who wore them, and the impact that receiving the sacraments had on that child.