Emma • 17 • Westmeath

16-18 Category   •  2026
I feel as though we forget that we are animals too! What really interests me when exploring art is the human experience, and more so the lens in which we view life in comparison to the other creatures of the world. So, when tackling the prompt I decided to envision the space between what makes us human and what makes animals, well, animals. I love to observe my cat Skippy, and as most cats do, he loves to groom himself. I placed myself into his shoes (or paws) and mimicked his actions as a study into our behavioural differences. I hope that the viewer of this piece questions the margin between humanity and the animals of the world, and is likewise able to extract the sheer vastness of nature from this piece, as infinite possibilities reside within it. I used mixed media (pencil and acrylic paint), as I enjoy the contrast in colour when both graphite and acrylic are mixed as both work together to make each other pop. This contrast likewise adds to the perceived differences between humanity and animals, yet likewise the sameness in which both reside.