Curatorial staff Mark Stewart and Dr Baige Zylstra have been delighted to welcome Emily McCann as their new curatorial intern in the Murdoch University Art Gallery.

What do you enjoy about your current degree in Game Art and Design?

I love how Games Art & Design is giving me the chance to try all the different mediums and programs I never would have expected to want, or even be able to try. Not only will this variety enhance my skills and help me get a job I like in the future, but it is also allowing me to find out what exactly I really want to do. I never would have known how much work goes into games, nor would I have known that 3D modelling, albeit a little hard to get around, is fun and fulfilling when the work is finished.

Have you been drawn to creative activities since you were young?

There’s no specific time I can point to where I first started art and recreation. It has always been something I’ve done for as long as I can remember! Coming in to work with my mum when I didn’t have primary school just to colour-in the whole day, doodling around my notes in classes, writing terrible stories just so I could skip to the fun part and draw them out like it was a picture book. Art has always been something I’ve been drawn to (pun intended).

In terms of accepting the placement, what interested you in getting some work experience with the Murdoch University Art Collection?

As I said before, Games Art & Design is offering me many different skills I can use in the future, and experience with Murdoch University’s Art Collection would be no different. It has definitely been an interesting experience to watch and learn how an exhibition is put together, such as the current Speaking Truth to Power exhibition.

How did you find being involved in the creation of the artwork for the First Nations Sub-Strategy?

Aboriginal Art is something I had been meaning to improve on, and hearing about an artwork needed for the First Nations Sub-Strategy was the perfect opportunity to cultivate my skills. Never did I think the artwork would be loved as much as it has been, and it has definitely boosted my motivation to work on more pieces!

How did you come to your final design?

It was suggested that the artwork for the First Nations Sub-Strategy would incorporate the journey taken by Indigenous staff and students at university, and I thought it would be nice to show the journey aspect through a more traditional Aboriginal Art look, while also including some of the natural things that make Murdoch University unique. After some sketching and playing around with the warmer colours, I started work on the final image. Even if I hadn’t won, I never would have realised how much I loved drawing birds! Especially birds native to Australia.

What elements did you feel you needed to include and why and ultimately what medium did you use to create it?

A couple of elements I added to make this artwork unique to Murdoch University, was the inclusion of the Red-tailed black cockatoo, and the Banksia. The bird is at the top of the piece spreading its wings is to symbolise the success and fulfillment that comes at the end of the journey. The bottom of the image includes two hands reaching out, implied to be the viewer starting their journey as they meet more and more people along the way to support them. As for the medium used for this artwork, I chose digital art, as it is my most comfortable medium I use for most of my drawings. I remember when I first got a drawing tablet, and seeing how my art looked then to now is always something that has kept me going!