Words Rhona MacTavish

“Goddesses are imperfect in a different kind of way. Goddesses are imperfect in the way that they’re going to burn your village down”. Intrigued by the unusual and the out of place, Taly strives to bring meaning to her art and represent the other side of the situation at hand.  She doesn’t dwell on the insignificant imperfections within people, but instead focuses on the goodness in life and as a result, she is wise beyond her years.

Through high school, Taly began to develop her own style and in that discovered her own little thoughts and philosophies.

“The thing I’ve done above all else is have the right mindset, the mindset that understands people… I don’t go for facial imperfections, because that’s not the sort of thing you stare at for too long because you don’t want to. You stare at something that seems out of place. Something that’s different. I’ve tried to analyse that and I’ve always done that and it kind of put me as an outcast.”

In discovering more of the wonders of art, she has become increasingly transfixed by the nature of human emotions, and certainly having matured so much in a short space of time has helped her grow in more ways than one.

“Anyone who’s been through sh*t will say that if they haven’t been though that sh*t, then they wouldn’t be anywhere as near as strong as they are now… And I have very strong parents.”

Taly is a young artist who grew up drawing straight out of her imagination. Sitting watching television, she would place herself within any story and put pencil straight to paper. “I was watching a movie and I was like I want to be made out of lava, I want to have wings, I want to be this and so I just started drawing,” and through this Taly discovered one of her central influences today: comics. DC comics, particularly those featuring Batman, the Joker and Harley Quinn are some of her favourites. “I like comics for the style, for adventure, for their dramatics, and [that] I can do anything I bloody well want.” Studio Ghibli also holds a special place in Taly’s heart, and the music has helped her through the years.

“I have a very vivid imagination… I used to listen to Ghibli music on the bus and imagine the most beautiful thing I could think of. I felt really happy doing that.”

Currently, Taly is in grade ten at Taroona High. Working largely with fine liners and watercolours, she has also recently begun focusing on anatomy and structure. She is working on a piece for PLATFORM magazine, which explores the importance of motivation and self-recovery. Her extraordinary growth in confidence over the years has truly shaped Taly as the person she is today, and her efforts to share the knowledge she has gained in the process is beautifully thoughtful and inspiring.

Taly would like to pursue art as a career, and is beginning to decide about what to do after secondary school. With her talent, wisdom and positivity there are no ends to the possibilities that can open up for her.