Sculptures 2025
This year has been an exciting one for me, especially with my return to Mudgee, where I had four new sculptures accepted into the exhibition. I also submitted five works to Artisans in the Garden, which was my first experience exhibiting at the Sydney Botanic Gardens—an exhilarating opportunity. Since both exhibitions had overlapping deadlines, I had to complete all my works well ahead of the submission dates.
Moreover, I have started working with new materials. My first project involves traditional lost-wax bronze casting, and the second is a new series that combines metal and stone.
Skeleton Gum Leaf
Each metal ring is crafted from steel tubing and shaped into a unique form. The design of the sculpture was inspired by a leaf I found while walking in my neighbourhood. One of the things I love about this piece is that I experimented with colour-change automotive paint. Depending on the angle of light, the colours shift to shades of purple, pink, bronze, and green. It can be challenging to capture these colours in photographs and convey their spectacular effect accurately, but I hope the accompanying video will help illustrate it. The sculpture is made from mild steel, colour-change paint, and epoxy resin, with approximate dimensions of 230 cm in height, 50 cm in width, and 30 cm in depth.
Ghost of a Gum
Each metal ring has been cut from a steel tube and shaped into a unique form through a process of hammering. While I had a general idea of the trunk and branches, the final shape only became clear as I observed how the different rings stacked and welded together. This piece is my favourite of the year. It required extensive preparation and welding, and I initially had only a rough concept of its final form. A friend remarked that, despite “being a bloke” and working with steel, I created an organic and, in this case, quite feminine shape. The artwork is made from mild steel and stainless steel, finished with gloss black automotive paint and coated with a two-part epoxy resin. Its dimensions are approximately 180 cm in height, 100 cm in width, and 40 cm in depth.
Scribbly Gum Orb
I have been experimenting with 6mm mild steel solid bar to create some interesting shapes—essentially doodles in metal rather than drawings. I curved these short lengths using my disc plough and then began welding them together. I continued adding pieces until I had formed a complete sphere. The finished piece, made from mild steel rod and coated with gold fleck powder, measures approximately 100 cm in diameter and 180 cm in height.
Sticky Rock #1
Rocks and metals often form under intense heat and pressure, which can cause them to melt, resulting in a consistency and appearance similar to that of chewing gum. Although this project is still in its experimental stage, I plan to create a series of artworks using various types of rock, along with stainless steel and silicon bronze. I am excited to see how this series develops. The first piece turned out differently from what I initially envisioned, but I am very pleased with the final result. It features splashes and drips of stainless steel, and the wavy stainless steel that joins the two pieces has a hammered finish. I also carefully heated the bottom edge to create a subtle colour gradient that varies depending on the light, ranging from a light champagne to a deep golden brown. (Materials: natural siltstone and stainless steel; dimensions: approximately 36cm high x 48cm wide x 28cm deep)
“Make a Wish”
This special piece was commissioned to commemorate a deceased parent. I enjoyed the challenge of this project and created jigs and tools to help speed up the process of making numerous individual dandelion seeds. The spherical centre of the flower pod was crafted using a method similar to how potters make coil pots. I welded together some 6mm solid bars that had been rolled into rings. Once the central ball was formed and welded to the curved pipe stem, I attached each individual seed pod to the ball, along with trailing seeds to create a dynamic effect. The client was delighted with the sculpture, which was installed in their backyard garden.
Infinity
This is my first experience with the traditional lost-wax process, and I'm still getting to grips with all the possibilities this method offers. I want to explore it further. Working with warm, gooey, sticky wax to create an initial form was both challenging and rewarding. Since all my work is handmade, this messy approach aligns well with my ethos. The beauty of working with wax is that if something turns out poorly or you don't like it, you can either try to fix it or simply return it to the melting pot for reuse later. After my piece returned from the foundry, I applied a patina using heat and a sulphide solution to darken the bronze, especially at the base, as my intention was always to highly polish the top. The dimensions of the piece are approximately 54 cm high, 26 cm wide, and 15 cm deep.
Coloured Gum Leaf
I enjoy experimenting with different materials, and recently, I drew inspiration from a gum leaf I found in my neighbourhood to create a piece using TIG welding with silicon bronze welding rods. The leaf has a lot of character, featuring irregular bits missing and a curled, crinkled shape. As with many of my works, I enjoy exploring contrasts, such as rough versus smooth or shiny versus matte. For this project, I polished the tip of the leaf. During the welding process, I was captivated by the beautiful colours produced by the heat. Ultimately, I heated the tip until I achieved stunning, rainbow-hued colours. Since bronze can tarnish over time, a standard method to prevent this is to rub wax into the warmed metal. Ironically, while this process helps to prevent tarnishing, it also dulls the vibrant rainbow colours. As a result, the colours are still visible but appear much more subdued than they did immediately after the final heating. (Welded silicon bronze on a mild steel base - approximately 26 cm high x 36cm wide x 10cm deep)
