Muse of Time
‘The Muse of Time’ is a reflection on the inexorable passage of time, the wing represents flight, and as the wing evolves into a sensuous flowing figure a Muse appears, guiding and inspiring us. Her stance is proud and defiant as she advances into the future with all its unforeseen events.
The Muses of Greek Mythology were known as water nymphs, and the highly polished stainless steel creates the illusion of the sculpture flowing into a liquid form. Changing states, solid becomes liquid as time takes flight.
Statement
My sculpture is a response to changing states where the figure through the illusion of a highly polished surface appears to flow. The polished surface of the figure also wears the environment it is in as a second skin, reflecting all the changes of light and sky in a dynamic way, nothing remains static.
The highly polished fluid lines of my sculptures gives the impression the sculpture is somehow poured into a mould. Nothing could be further from the truth. The sculpture starts life as pieces of heavy stainless steel rods and plate. The rods are heated to red hot and bent to form the basic shape of the sculpture and the plates are cut, shaped and formed and then tig welded to the rods, and the basic form is achieved. Then the reduction commences with angle grinders and abrasives to reduce the form to a refined shape. With ever decreasing abrasives the sculpture begins to reveal itself and finally the sculpture is highly polished. Each sculpture is unique, they are not part of an edition.
I find the work process is integral to the finished sculpture so I do all the making myself, allowing me to incorporate all the random ideas and directions that help breath life into a sculpture.
I trained as a Gold and Silversmith in the mid 1970’s at RMIT in Melbourne. The Gold and Silversmithing department had an old school European feel to it.The training was heavily weighted to technical excellence with a mid 20th Century design aesthetic.
Much of the jewellery I make could be considered small scale sculpture. ‘Come the Revolution’ bracelet which was collected by the National Gallery of Australia in 1980 is one of many from this period.
I have been represented at Sculpture by the Sea Bondi and Cottesloe numerous times as well as other sculpture exhibitions throughout Australia as well as commissions.
