Friday, December 15, 2017

Questions for the Angels


This work started as a tribute to Paul Simon's song of the same name.




As it progressed I chose to dedicate it to the environmental defenders who put their lives on the line to care for their country.




Then a hero arose and Clinton Pryor walked across Australia to be the voice of his people - the archetypical pilgrim asking all of us the question.


 In August 2017 the work was shown at Bourke Place as part of the Association of Sculptors of Victoria Annual Exhibition. It will be shown again as part of the Association of Sculptors Exhibition which leads the 2018 Herring Island Summer Arts Festival.

Monday, April 3, 2017

It Started with a Walk in the Park


My neighbour Anna was walking in the park when the arborists were removing a tree

There was a significant crack so the tree had to go. We would have carved the three meter stump that was left but before that happened the tree was chipped - nothing left but a pile of wood chips.

Fortunately Anna rescued some rounds of the trunk and they duly arrived in my driveway.

The work I built was a response to the Build Bridges Not Walls campaign. Being my first serious effort with a chainsaw the work proceeded carefully and slowly - with many a call to gurus, chainsaw shops and sculptor friends.


I made a lot of shavings


I also made a sample piece - a tribute to the tree that never turned into sculpture and a gift for Anna.





Finally the work was ready and sent to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show



And then it came home again - to teach me how cypress will weather and to allow me to see what could be better.