This was particularly true for Carmen Mazzarotta, an art teacher at Aitken College in Greenvale.

“One day, during last year’s lockdown, I received two lots of terrible news,” she says.

“My father-in-law and my closest friend had both passed away, within a few hours of one another.

“Painting and crying were the only things I could do, and they became my coping mechanisms.

“This was how my piece, Colour Healing, was born.

“I was standing in front of the canvas, not knowing where to start.

“The first thing I painted was a brown rectangle; then, as the memories of these two people resurfaced, I added colours, which were representative of the joyous moments we shared.

“I couldn’t even separate the pain of losing my father-in-law, Carmelo, from that of the loss of my friend, Jayne.”

Mazzarotta was encouraged by her family to enter the National Teacher Artist Prize 2022 competition, organised in collaboration with Zart Art.

The competition was created with the aim of encouraging, recognising and celebrating the visual arts created by primary and high school teachers, thus emphasising the importance of the role models who dedicate their time to promoting art in school.

When she won the National Teacher-Artist Prize for Victoria, Mazzarotta was touched.

“It was the first time in my life that I had participated in a competition,” she explains.

“To win, especially with a piece that is so personal, was so impactful.”

The competition was judged by a panel of artists, including Maree Clarke, Vernin Ah Kee and Margaret Baguley – the president of Art Education Australia.

The award was presented to her during a ceremony at the Lennox Gallery in Richmond.

“The house that my mother and her family lived in when they first migrated to Italy is just around the corner from the Lennox Gallery,” Mazzarotta says.

“They left Salina, an island in the Aeolian archipelago, for Victoria.”

The art teacher draws her inspiration from her personal history.

Often, her work is informed by family, such as her latest piece, Treasure, which was inspired by her grandmother Antonietta.

“Winning the National Teacher Artist gave me the courage to enter another contest: The Incinerator Art Award, Art for Social Change,” Mazzarotta explains.

“My new piece, Treasure, captures the essence of my beloved grandmother, a wise and elegant woman, who called her loved ones ‘treasure’.

Carmen Mazzarotta with her latest artwork, Treasure

“Antonietta aged gracefully and accepted herself, having understood that beauty transcends age.

“This piece is intended to be a celebration of the elderly, of their stories, traditions and values.”

Mazzarotta, who loved art as a child, was inspired to pursue a career in the field by her own Year 11 and 12 visual arts teacher.

“She invited us students over to her house on the weekend, encouraging us to sit in her garden and paint,” she recalls.

“She’d make sandwiches and drinks for us.

“Sitting in that flowery space instilled a love of nature, art and colour in me.”