About my Art., During the late 1990’s I was getting dissatisfied with working on practical projects, like farming, building work, gardening and ordinary jobs. So I said to myself what else can I do ? My Auntie was an Art Teacher for all her working life, so I thought I might have some of that in me. I also enjoyed art at high school, but had to drop it to do wood work and metal work which were more practical for boys. Not long after this I was at the local shop and a group of local girls who I knew where doing basket weaving , so I sat down to talk with them and was told that one of their husbands made some wire baskets and showed me a photo. So here I am on a breakthrough, Well I could do that to, so I went home and made 2 baskets and took them to the local market and sold them. So baskets became my thing for a while. The next encounter at the shop led me a meeting of people to talk about creating an art group on Bruny Island, so I got involved and we created Bruny Island Arts, the island’s first art group. At this meeting I met Melba Nielson who was setting up a small painting school a few miles down the road. This sounded right up my ally, so of I went for a morning every Friday for 3 years. So there I was learning the Art of Chan or Zen ink brush painting on rice paper. So my artistic adventures are well on the way. Next I decided our art group might like to have an Exhibition at our local hall in Adventure Bay. we set it up and had our first show, and a great success it was too. During this time my metal work skills became very useful , as I was creating garden sculpture for my expanding garden and for Exhibitions on Bruny and across the channel in Cygnet . My ink painting lessons where going well and I was selling quite a few paintings. During 2005 Bruny Island Arts had a large Exhibition in The Long Gallery at Salamanca Place, Hobart. During 2006 I was invited to do a shared Exhibition at The Despard Gallery in Hobart, both these exhibitions where successful for me and a small dream had come true. So to this day I am still creating Sculptures on commission, for our garden and exhibitions .
About my Art:
During the late 1990’s I was getting dissatisfied with working on practical projects, like farming, building work and gardening and started thinking about wanting to create things that were non practical. As my aunt was an art teacher and I had enjoyed art at school, creating art seemed a logical next step.
Through BIA (Bruny Island Arts) I met Melba Nielson who was setting up a small painting school a few miles down the road. This sounded right up my ally, and she taught me the art of Chan, or Zen, ink brush painting on rice paper which sold well in our BIA exhibitions.
Using wire as a sculptural medium started after a chance meeting at our local shop with a group of local girls who where doing some basket weaving and showed me some photos of wire baskets. I went home, made a couple of baskets and sold them at the local market. Next I started using my metal work skills to create more ambitious wire and (recycled) metal sculptures for my garden and exhibitions both on and of the island.
I continue to enjoy creating sculptures on commission, for our garden and for exhibitions.