Year 12 Oxley College student Connor Plummer is a finalist in this year's young Archie competition. Picture by Briannah Devlin Connor Plummer always looks within and brings the personal to life in his paintings, particularly exploring the mental health of teenage boys. Subscribe now for unlimited access .
Login or signup to continue reading $ 0 / $ NaN /year Equivalent of $ NaN per month Save NaN % All articles from our website The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue The subject was something he felt was "overlooked" in art, and that the stereotypes needed to be challenged. The Oxley College student decided to explore this in his work A Boy Called Dean , which has been chosen as a finalist for the Young Archie exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW. "It's all I've really known - I've wanted to have a genuinely emotional artwork, I wanted to explain something personal," he said.
It showed his friend Dean and his sensitivities despite his tough exterior, his artist statement said. He is depicted upside down so viewers stop to consider the "teenage experience", and to "flip what we know on its head", it continued. Connor is one of 70 finalists chosen from more than 4000 entries.
The competition invites artists between the ages of five and 18 to submit a portrait of someone who is special to them. "It's amazing, I'm over the moon," the Year 12 student said. "I always wanted to.