Bronte Naylor (2011)

Emerging artist Bronte Naylor believes a picture can literally paint a thousand words for students today. The Artist, also known as Noke, says she hopes Fairholme's art exhibition in 2017 will show young artists there's much more to their work than the end product.

We caught up with Fairholme Old Girl, Bronte Naylor, working on a new piece at Kontraband in Toowoomba. She’s been commissioned to create this piece on belgian linen, following the recent art exhibition she held, called “Collective Memory”.

It’s vastly different from the life size mural of the Fairholme Homestead, the Bunya Pines that surround it, and the Tawny Frogmouth that resides in the old trees, that Bronte finished on a wall at Fairholme last month. The artwork became the centerpiece for the launch of the College’s upcoming Art Exhibition “Facets of Fairholme”.

“Like the homestead, the distinctive Bunya trees hold significant memories,” Bronte says, describing how her mural at Fairholme came about. “They act as living pillars, which hold decades of stories and have seen the changes within the College and surrounding environment; both built and natural.”

Bronte studied Art at Fairholme under the guidance of Mrs Karen Hayward, and openly admits she wasn’t one for academic subjects.

“Art was a wonderful way for me to thrive at school. Now, with some success in Art, I think it’s important for students to realise that the work you do in this subject can so easily be transferred to life in the real world.”

Bronte says her success is largely due to persistence and determination, and believes those skills can be applied to any career.

“Art has taught me that sometimes the best pieces are created from painting over mistakes, or working with something you hadn’t pictured in your mind. It teaches you resilience, innovation and determination. Sometimes that’s lost on the people looking at your work. But it’s there. And those skills will take you anywhere.”

Bronte was one of the artists exhibiting at 2017 Facets of Fairholme.