Cassie Holt and Rose McDonald are building on the success of their recent Year 12 Art studies, embarking on the next phase of their career at TAFE SA.

The emerging artists, who completed secondary school last year and both had paintings selected for the 2026 SACE Art Show, are studying the Diploma of Visual Arts at the Adelaide College of the Arts (AC Arts).

An Adelaide Hills resident, Cassie (pictured right with her painting on the left) says the impact of climate change on her local environment was a strong influence in her Year 12 artwork.

Her painting, The State of the World, which features in the art show, depicts a town on fire and incorporates acrylic and oil paints to create a smoky haze on the canvas.

“I really wanted to include smoke in the artwork and I spent a lot of time getting the shape right. I’ve been thinking a lot about climate change and the way drought impacts farmers,” she says.

At Birdwood High School, Cassie says art and science were her favourite subjects and she considered studying geology at university before deciding on visual art.

“I enjoy art, especially painting, and my teachers were really encouraging,” she says.

Since enrolling in the Diploma of Visual Arts, Cassie says she’s enjoyed painting and drawing classes and learning from “very knowledgeable” teachers.

Rose (pictured below with her painting on the left) says she was surprised but delighted to have her artwork, Evanescence, chosen for the SACE Art Show.

Rose, who completed Year 12 at Cabra Dominican College, explored the theme of ‘mind and memory’, which she describes as an “interesting topic”.

Her acrylic painting of a female face is overlaid with a transparent acrylic panel featuring additional mark-making, which conveys the idea of swirling thoughts or layers of memory.

 “I thought about daydreaming and I tried to capture that. She’s thinking about the memory - you can see it in her eyes,” she says.

Rose, who has been nurturing her passion for art since primary school, says the practical focus of the Diploma of Visual Arts was appealing when she was deciding on a study pathway.

“There are a lot of practical options in the course and I want to try them out and find what I’m best at. I’ve loved all my classes so far, including drawing, painting and sculpture,” she says.

After the Diploma, Rose plans to further her study with the Bachelor of Creative Arts – Visual Arts, a qualification offered by TAFE SA in partnership with Flinders University.

The 2026 SACE Art Show was held at Light Square Gallery, Adelaide College of the Arts, from 17 March to 10 April.