Courtney Ruge
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Courtney Ruge, ‘Felines’ 2021. Oil pastels on paper primed with a textured acrylic ground. 42 x 59.4cm each. Image courtesy: the artist.
Artist statement
Felines is a series of four oil pastel drawings, depicting cats in various contexts. Emphasising textural materiality and the humility of the handmade, blocks of saturated colour are embellished with hard and soft mark-making achieved via scumbling, sgraffito, and blending techniques. Drawing upon the influence of Noel McKenna, elements of humour, kitsch, and anthropomorphism are used to explore human-animal relationships, tracing our own evolution alongside these mysterious creatures as we worshipped, feared, and domesticated them.
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Acknowledgement of Country
UNSW School of Art & Design stands on an important place of learning and exchange first occupied by the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples.
We acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land that our students and staff share, create and operate on. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all First Nations peoples across Australia. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
