M andurah Baptist College Year 12 student Courtney Cummins has only been painting since last year  but now she can call herself an award-winning artist after success in a prestigious national competition. 
The Young Australian Art Awards were set up in 2006 to encourage young budding artists and showcase artwork from all around the country. 
Courtney's painting, titled Me in Oils, started as a piece exploring WACE themes of identities for her Year 11 assignment last year. 
While she completed the painting at age 16, it wasn't until   February 2015 that she entered her work into the competition, and it won her the Lady Potter Award for Young Australian Artist of the Year.
"In   October I got a call at school that I had won and would be flying to Melbourne for the awards," Courtney said. 
"I didn't believe it, to be honest; it was such a big thing and I just couldn't comprehend it."
Now 17 years old, Courtney's stunning oil painting still acts as an accurate depiction of how she views herself and still loves being creative. 
"It was a self-portrait that was supposed to signify a part of myself so the paint on my face was showing how I immerse myself in art and love painting," she said. 
"I only started at the beginning of last year so I try to teach myself as much as I can and just practise. I'm hoping one day I'll have a studio in my backyard."
While at Mandurah Baptist College, Courtney studied visual art and design graphics and said she wanted to continue those passions when she went to university. 
"I'm now looking to do a double degree in arts and commerce because I just want to keep painting but I love graphic design as well," she said. 
Aside from her studies, Courtney said she would continue to enter her artwork in competitions but also had completed a number of paintings to sell.
"I've already started selling my artwork; I do that with one of my friends," she explained. 
"I do a few different styles and the more abstract ones I sell to people for their houses but the realistic paintings have just been school ones."
Courtney was flown to Melbourne for the Young Australian Art Awards night on Saturday. 
'The paint on my face was showing how I immerse myself in art and love painting.'
The Young Australian Art Awards  is organised by not-for-profit organisation Childrens Charity Network, which aims to build confidence and self-esteem in all children.