By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
A 17-year-old Cockatoo resident has won the inaugural Reilly Art Prize on Sunday 27 October at an exhibition held at Lifeview Willow Wood.
This unique intergenerational art program paired secondary students from Years 10 to 12 with residents of Lifeview aged care facilities to create special portraits.
This year, 11 students entered the competition, and the artwork from all participants was truly impressive, showcasing the creativity and talent of young artists in the Hills community.
However, there could only be one winner, Luka Kill from Emerald Secondary College took that spotlight.
Among the entrants were also three students from Monbulk College.
The Year 11 student received a $5000 prize from Lifeview for her fantastic portrait of Doug, an aged care resident at Lifeview Emerald Glades.
“It has been a whirlwind, I was completely shocked, but I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to build a relationship with Doug, meeting his family, including his children and grandchildren, during the exhibition was truly a highlight,” she said.
“This initiative is really wonderful, and the interest it has generated has been overwhelming – I’m still wrapping my head around it all.”
She painted a black and white portrait of Doug while he played his beloved drum kit.
“I’ve been interested in art since I was little. Art and music have surrounded me my whole life – my mum is an art teacher and artist, while my dad is not only a bass player but also an instrument maker,” Luka said.
“I dedicated a lot of time to this project, spending every spare moment I could between studying for Year 11 – about two to three hours, five times a week, for over a month.”
“Creating art is something I love to do in my downtime, so it was actually an enjoyable way to spend my time.”
The students were paired with aged care residents by sharing their name, age, interests, and three fun facts – however, the pairing of Luka and Doug came with a funny story.
“Since my name is unisex and I’m a drummer, they assumed I was a boy, after having a laugh about it, Doug and I really connected and built a friendship over our shared love of playing drums and other instruments, like the ukulele,” Luka said.
“Doug has a quick wit and a great sense of humour that can make anyone laugh, he shares a strong bond with his wife and family, which was evident when I met them all at the exhibition.”
“He always took the time to connect with me, eager to share stories and his love of music.”
The aged care resident loves sharing his music with fellow residents during Friday Happy Hours.
Interestingly, Luka is also a drummer, which created an instant connection between them –one of her favourite aspects of meeting Doug.
“We talked non-stop, we laughed a lot – it’s inspiring to know that at 95 years old, he still plays the drums for the residents of Lifeview,” she said.
“I would have loved to see him once a week, but school and other commitments sometimes got in the way.”
Luka said she plans to put her prize money into a savings account for future world travels and to buy art supplies, which can be quite expensive.
Luka reflected on how the passion for music doesn’t fade with age.
Thanks to this experience, Doug has connected with Luka’s dad, a local luthier, who will be helping him with some instrument repairs in the future.
“I titled my artwork ‘Rhythm of Connection’ to highlight how Doug and I bonded over our love of music and instruments – he is also a talented ukulele player, and funnily enough, I built one by hand with my dad during COVID,” she said.
“It was a special moment for me to bring it into Lifeview for him to play. Now, I’m learning to play it myself.”
