This found object assemblage wall sculpture is called Raining Nuts and Washers. It is 29x25cm (including natural wood mount) and ready to hang. It remains one of my favourite early works from 2017.
To this day, I remember exactly where I found those strange-looking electronic parts. These ‘people-like’ pieces of metal were scattered on the nature strip on Haines Street in North Melbourne, in the block immediately to the west of Abbotsford Street. They reminded me of workers sitting on motor mowers. They obviously chose the wrong time to mow, with it pouring down. This is also one of my first uses of the street cleaning bristles that I’d been collecting and that got me started in found object assemblage.
Exhibitions
This work appeared in my first solo exhibition, From the Streets of Melbourne, at the City Library in 2018. I liked it so much that I hung it at River Studios for a couple years. I have decided finally to sell it so that I can update my studio display with newer works.
My inspiration
Working as a found object assemblage artist and jewellery designer, I create wall sculptures, 3D sculptures and brooches. I limit my ‘raw materials’ to the metal, wood, tiles and plastic that I gather from streets and skips.
Many of my works are inspired by the Melbourne skyline, especially at sunrise and sunset. Often I try to incorporate ‘natural features’. A bent nail can suggest a meandering river. Rusted sheet metal transforms into a cloud. A broken tile becomes a mountain.
My more abstract works are stimulated by the found objects themselves, which I often place in juxtaposition. At other times, I emphasise their rusted, scratched or variegated surfaces.
Sustainable art
My art is inspired by a strong interest in sustainability through repurposing and upcycling. My hope is that this artwork makes you smile. At the same time, may it remind you of the 5Rs to help our planet: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle.
