ACG students pay artistic tribute to Kiwi Olympians

Delaney O'Hara with her portrait of rower Mahe Drysdale. Photo / Supplied

Two teens have used their artistic flair to pay tribute to a pair of Olympian alumni of their Auckland high school.

Art students Florence Harrison and Delaney O'Hara, of ACG Senior College, took time out from swatting for their Cambridge exams to paint portraits of rower Mahe Drysdale and swimmer Lauren Boyle in action.

They eventually hope to present the portraits to the athletes in person.

Delaney, 17, who painted Drysdale in his boat, said it was amazing knowing the gold-medal winning rower was a previous student of her school.

"He came to this school, walked around where I'm walking - it's just a cool feeling," the Year 13 student said.

"I followed the Olympics through Facebook and Snapchat and when it came up on my feed that he had won, I was gobsmacked.

"I'm so happy for him that his courage and perseverance paid off."

She said the hours she poured into her painting were a small reflection of the dedication Drysdale has for rowing.

Delaney O'Hara starting on her portrait of Mahe Drysdale. Photo / supplied

"Painting something that's a current event in New Zealand is quite different to my usual style," she said.

"I express myself through art, so being able to embody an inspiration in my own personal art form was very appealing to me.

"Mahe is someone that is driven and motivated and portrays so much courage in his training and achievements, that this felt like the best way, the most appropriate way, to express that, even though I was pushing my own boundaries. "

Florence Harrison works on her portrait of swimmer Lauren Boyle. Photo / Supplied

Florence, 16, studies Classics and said she was inspired by the history of the Olympics as well as her subject, Lauren Boyle.

She spent around 15 hours on the project.

"It's amazing how the Olympics was started so long ago and now it brings the whole world together to compete," she said.

"I really liked the photo that I chose of Lauren, I could almost feel the motion as she dived in.

"It didn't feel like work to do the painting - the thought that it would hopefully go to her and that it's special and might mean something to her really helped me."

Florence Harrison's portrait of swimmer Lauren Boyle. Photo / Supplied

The two ACG Senior College students are under the tutelage of the school's head of arts, Andrew Strachan, whose students received 12 "Top in the World" awards under the Cambridge Pathways system in arts subjects over the last 11 years.

The school's strength in art meant that painting felt like a fitting tribute to the athletes, Strachan said.

"The athletes' focus was to be the best they could possibly be and that's what we hope for our students," he said.

"They work as hard as they can to achieve their goals. Delaney and Florence really embraced the idea of representing these amazing athletes, and were anxious to do them justice."