Sachi Elliott

Perth Modern School

Year 10

Graphite on paper

75 x 50 cm

My late maternal grandfather immigrated from his rural home-town in Ehime, Japan to Broome, Western Australia in the late 1950s. There, he worked as a pearl diver for many years until he had a major accident and could no longer dive. For the rest of his life he worked as a skilled carpenter. He married my European grandmother in the late 60s, despite the stigma of interracial marriages at that time. The composition is intentionally simplistic; the only extra element is a light shadow of boat apparatus to create a subtle nautical influence reflecting his diving years. His expression isn’t smiley, but it is not cold, giving the viewer an insight into his character.