J-BAC 2025 - Primary School 1st Place Winner - Mackenzie Mountford - Kougas Flame

Artist: Mackenzie Mountfort

Artwork Title: Kouga’s Flame

Size: 210mm x 297mm

Medium: Mixed media collage, pen and oil pastels

Framed

Inspiration:

When I started thinking about the Kouga region, the first thing that came to mind was its incredible natural beauty. I wanted to create something that shows that, so I decided on a flower. While researching, I found the Kouga flame lily and thought it was perfect because of its bright, beautiful colors. One of my favorite things to draw is anything related to people, so I added a hand holding the flower. This made the artwork feel more personal and like a part of me was in it. For the background, I used local newspaper clippings to represent our community and its stories. Putting these elements together brought everything into the theme, the nature, people, and the place.

Artist Bio:

I’m a 13-year-old artist who loves exploring creativity in many different ways. In my spare time, I enjoy doodling and bringing ideas to life on paper. I’m a big fan of anime and comics and I love reading about fantasy worlds because they inspire my imagination. When it comes to art, some of my favorite things to draw are realistic human hearts, eyes, and faces. I also like adding my own style to everyday things, like bleaching and customizing t-shirts or making things out of clay. Art is my way of expressing what I love and how I see the world. Whether it’s something realistic or something completely made-up, I enjoy creating pieces that are full of detail and personality.