Eli Molloy-Wolt painted this mural on the Kerikeri skate ramp. Photo / Supplied
Eli Molloy-Wolt painted this mural on the Kerikeri skate ramp. Photo / Supplied
A former Kerikeri High School student has received an award worth $6000 after earning the top marks in the country for his scholarship painting assessment.
Eli Molloy-Wolt, 18, earned a Top Subject Scholarship - worth $2000 a year for three years as long as students maintain at least a B-grade in tertiary studies - after achieving the highest grades in New Zealand Scholarship painting of the 2880 students who entered last year.
Molloy-Wolt, who is now studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, hadn't really thought about the fact he was top in the country, and was not expecting it.
Molloy-Wolt said, for the scholarship, he had to submit a portfolio which featured all the art he had done over the years, all the competitions he had entered, and all the exhibitions he had been a part of.
Kerikeri's Eli Molloy-Wolt earned the highest grades in New Zealand Scholarship painting, out of the 2880 students who entered. Photo / Supplied
Molloy-Wolt has been surrounded by art his whole life. His mum, Jane Molloy-Wolt is a professional painter.
"It was just a path I wanted to take that interested me a lot. I've always been drawing from a young age - since I was a little kid - and it kind of developed over time," he said.
Molloy-Wolt is a painter too. He does a lot of collage, cartoon and fine line work.
If you've been to the Kerikeri Skate Park, you will be familiar with Molloy-Wolt's art.
The brightly coloured mural on the ramp - which features unusual characters - was painted by him.
"I've always been into a lot of Japanese cartoons when I was little so I guess the colours come from that - crazy characters and vibrant colours. So I just incorporated that into my style.
"But mostly I just paint straight out of my head with not much influence from anything around me. I just paint these weird characters and objects," he said.
Eli Molloy-Wolt bringing the mural to life. Photo / Supplied
Last year Molloy-Wolt was third in The Wallace Secondary School Art Awards, and second in 2018.
He was also awarded the Chrystabel L Aitken Scholarship for Fine Arts which was worth $1000.
Molloy-Wolt said his mum and his art teachers at Kerikeri High School had been very helpful, nurturing and supportive towards him.
Single subject awards at Northland schools
• A single subject award is a "one-off" grant of $500 per subject (maximum payment is $1000)
• Kaitaia College - 1 • Kerikeri High School - 6 • Okaihau College - 3 • Te Rangi Āniwaniwa - 1 • Whangārei Boys' High School - 2 • Whangārei Girls' High School - 2
