The SculptorsSociety Bulletin Terrance Plowright, 'Poetry Of Light' NOV/DEC 2016 JANUARY 2017 www.sculptorssociety.com
CALENDAR DATES FOR 2017 THE SCULPTORS SOCIETY AGM will be held on 1 April 2017 at 1.30pm at the Incinerator ArtSpace 29 March 23 April 2017 Incinerator exhibition 2 Small Street, Willoughby 1 April 2017 Incinerator opening event from 4 pm (Our Japanese visitors will exhibit with us from 29 March - 9 April) FRONT COVER Terrance Plowright, 'Poetry of Light' BACK COVER Amanda Harrison, 'Just Hanging On', ceramic The Sculptors Society (TSS) is the oldest sculpture society in NSW, having been founded in 1951. Our mission is to promote public interest in sculpture through regular exhibitions and disseminate relevant sculpture information to our members. We also promote the advancement and appreciation of sculpture to the widest possible audience. TSS has supported, encouraged & given substance to numerous past & present members of renown such as Robert Woodward, Robert Klippel, Lyndon Dadswell, Clement Meadmore, Gerald Lewers, Margo Lewers, Tom Bass, Bert Flugelman, Alan Somerville, Alex Kolozsy, Larissa Smagarinsky, Terrance Plowright and Blaze Krstanoski to name but a few. (Refer also to our website, in the About Us section). Within our talented membership we have both professional artists & sculpture teachers. The devotion to sculpture by our artists can be experienced through the realms of public art or private commissions, and especially via our many exhibitions held throughout the year. Not only does TSS promote our artists' work, we offer a valuable service to the community through our free exhibitions, which can inspire, enthrall and inform individuals of any age, creed or culture. Our extensive network of sculptors offers a broad range of sculptures in many varied styles and materials and of monumental or domestic size. If you wish to be involved or want to know more about TSS and its upcoming events, please refer to our website www.sculptorssociety.com SCULPTURE BY THE SEA: 2016 Visited by Feyona van Stom and her twin sister Consie, pictured sitting on a work below. STAY CONNECTED Please like our Facebook page in order to be kept up to date with the latest Sculptors Society News & Events! www.facebook.com/sculptorssociety Margarita Sampson, 'Dearest Pink' CONTACT DETAILS Feyona van Stom 0408 226 827 Eva Chant 0418 250 456 email: sculpt1@bigpond.net.au web: www.sculptorssociety.com Mikaela Castledine, 'Big Intention' Geoffrey Bartlett, 'Embrace' 2
FROM THE PRESIDENT This has been a good year for the Sculptors Society. We have had exhibitions in fabulous venues, both in the CBD, Chatswood Chase and at the Concourse and Incinerator galleries. Let s try for another great year for 2017! We have the Incinerator exhibition coming up. We would like this to be an amazing exhibition - let s pull out all the stops. We have visitors from Japan joining us in a new incentive from vice president Vivienne Lowe. I think this is terrific - we hardly ever have the opportunity to exhibit with overseas visitors. Also I would love it if every artist submitted outside work as well as inside work. This is a challenge for me as well as for you. My work can stand outside, but the size makes it very personal, even the large work I made last year in China is not going to be repeated so easily here. So I plan a different idea - and to this end I have included some images of works that I saw in Brisbane, in Goma - and some that gave me ideas at Sculpture by the Sea. Perhaps they will send you in a different direction too. Please consider an outside work for this venue - we have a LOT of space outside. - always remembering that this venue, the Incinerator, is not protected at night, the area is free to walk into and around at any time, so the work must be stable, safe, probably not valuable and will be affected by the weather - wind, rain, sun. The ground cannot be pierced more than about 6 inches deep as it was originally an incinerator, and the ground below is contaminated. This bulletin is a timely reminder that it is time to look for the Application form for the Incinerator show. Our last event for 2016 went very well, we heard that people loved that your committee pulled together to make food, and to prepare the tables for the festivities. We also had 3 members who made favourite dishes for us - and they were interesting and delicious - thank you to Carmel Mollison for the pear and lemon salad, Vera Robinson cooked us a beautiful fish, and Taline Matossian the baba ghanoush and mamara. Lee chose the wines - and we polished off the lot. Lee also chose the music for the evening. Eva put together the slide show of members works. Gary rushed in with salads and was our Master of Ceremonies. Shirley arrived fresh from the plane from Hong Kong, and took over the bar. Feisal had the job of keeping track of us all! Sally Aplin prepared the hors d oeuvres to whet our appetites. Vrej took photographs. Philippa cooked the ham and sauce, Meike the potato salad, and her almond tart, Vivienne brought the prawns and the noodle salad, Eva made dessert and the fabulous carrot and pineapple salad. I brought the smoked salmon and cooked the chicken breasts. A Big Big thank you to Eva s daughter Peta and Eva's grand daughter Jade who set places, prepared the table, helped with all the foods, served, cleared, washed, sorted and kept the whole evening going. Eva plans a holiday in January. Lee and family are in New Zealand for January. Sally Ann has the travel bug and is headed North to holiday with Peter and their large family. Vivienne is away 31 January - 16 February, Philippa is off to London to see her twins. I am going to New Zealand in January with Andre to spend time with my sister in the Bay of Islands. I hope everyone is having a good break in time for a busy year ahead. The leadup to any of our exhibitions is a very important time - and as I will be away in India from the 25th February until the 13th March, having an exhibition with Indian artist Seemanthini at Manora gallery in Bangalore, India - the application forms need to come in quickly. We need to have images for promotion. The final date for delivery is in mid March, however, if the work is made and your decision to exhibit is made, please send in applications earlier. We set up on Tuesday, 28th March 2017 and decisions have to be made regarding space and timings. We also need to provide some sort of education during this exhibition - so suggestions from artists are welcome as to what you think people would like to see or hear from us and maybe you would like to demonstrate or talk about your work? Gary has an exciting idea percolating in his head, with regard to showing us something interesting, but more news once he has brought it off. I am sending out enquiries to the buildings in the city we love to show in, and hope for dates soon. Keep making beautiful sculptures. Congratulations to Jane Dawson for such wonderful appreciation of her work. I wish all our artists and members a great 2017. Feyona 3
MARBLE CARVING IN ITALY CAROL ENDEAN LITTLE Sometimes you do something that changes everything. Bathurst sculptor, Carol Endean Little arranged a month s-long sculpting residency in Pietrasanta, in northwest Tuscany, Italy. Nestled right at the foot of the Apuan Alps, and just 4km from the sea, this beautiful little medieval town has been a draw-card for sculptors since its beginnings, because of the quality of its stone. Memorial to Michelangelo Michelangelo spent a frustrating time there, trying to bring his chosen blocks down from the mountains, but was thwarted by breakages in equipment, and fraud by would-be carriers, and in the end, his patron withdrew his commission, and Michelangelo left empty-handed. There is a café on the Piazza that bears his name Bar Michelangelo. Rather up-beat now, it was often the watering hole for dusty sculptors. Close by Pietrasanta are the famed marble quarries of Carrara, which have been worked for over 2000 years, the source of stone for masons and sculptors since Etruscan and Roman times. It is famed for its beautiful high-grade white and blue-grey marble, and can be visited in small groups. Now the stone is quarried not only for sculpting and building materials, but also cut into slabs for the tiles and kitchen benches we see all over the world. Ground into powder it also finds its way into cosmetics and toothpaste. Who would have thought! Now too, with modern technology, the powder is combined with resins to be used in creating 3D printed sculptures and nick-nacks. Sculpting by time-honoured methods goes on however. There are several old studios dotted throughout the town, and larger, more commercially oriented studios have relocated to modern serviced buildings in the outskirts. Carol had organised a spot in a studio, but this fell through at the last minute, but luckily she was able to find another workplace in a different studio not easy to organise ad hoc, as places are booked well in advance. Sculptors come from all over the world to spend the summer months working in Pietrasanta and Carrara. There are sculpting courses and workshops, as well as studios in which you can do your own work. The old artisani (stone craftsmen) are still available to hire to assist in working the stone, and to give points in sculpting. Carol found working alongside other sculptors thoroughly rewarding and stimulating. She was able to see them at work, discuss ideas, tools and methods and find information about the different types of stone available. As well there were the times of shared wine and local food though not always in a common language! Some of the larger studios do commissioned work for well-known artists, creating the work from the maquette. Now too, stone is carved by computerised robotic arms full-scale copies of Michelangelo s David are created for shipping off to wealthy collectors. Some sculptors come regularly to create their commissioned work in the studios of Pietrasanta, with all the facilities they need, including packing, transport and installation, at hand. Coming from Australia, and the real artistic isolation we experience here, Carol was struck by the camaraderie of the sculpting community, and the way the whole town and area are built on, and enlivened by marble. It is an historical reality. Like the hub of digital technology that is Silicon Valley, this is a true cluster incorporating the quarrying, selling, transporting, manufacturing, installing and sculpting of marble. The city is truly an artistic hub, not only for stone, but also for bronze foundries and mosaic studios. There are sculptures dotted around the town. The central piazza, the Piazza del Duomo, and the 14th century church of Sant Agostino display rolling exhibitions of large contemporary sculpture and art; there is a museum of sculpture, and many small art galleries within the historic centre. There are carving tool suppliers, plus stone suppliers who will sell and ship stone home for you. Pietrasanta is also a very popular tourist destination. There are many cafes, little restaurants and boutiques. The centre is car-free, so walking and bicycling are gentle ways to get around. It is also not far from Florence, Pisa and CinqueTerre, and there are comprehensive train and bus services available. Pietrasanta Sacred Stone a rather special place. carol@celart.com.au www.celart.com.au 4
MARBLE CARVING IN ITALY (CONTINUED) Setting up the gantry to lift a sculpture Pietrasanta town sculptures Pietrasanta Piazza di Duomo Robot In the studio yard Marble quarries Carrara 5
THE SCULPTORS SOCIETY CHRISTMAS PARTY: DECEMBER 1ST 2016 MOSMAN ART GALLERY ART GALLERY WAY & MYAHGAH RD, MOSMAN WORDS BY AMANDA HARRISON Originally built in 1915 as a Methodist church, the Great Hall of the Mosman Gallery was an excellent venue for the Sculptors Society s annual Christmas dinner. Designed by Burcham Clamp and Walter Burley Griffin, its textured sandstone walls, glowing stained glass windows and soaring ceiling added both a seasonal atmosphere as well as an artistic one. Within these hallowed walls over sixty sculptors and their partners, dressed in their gay apparel, gathered to greet, eat and be merry. The atmosphere became jolly as the showcase of sculpture photos prepared by Eva Chant began to roll on the big screen and the conversation and wine flowed as the guests caught up with old friends and new over entrees and nibbles. Whilst some washed down the sugar with a welcome tea or coffee, others washed along their lively conversations with another glass of wine. As tired, happy guests began to wend their way out the door and the washing up commenced, so another successful Christmas party came to an end. A big vote of thanks to the Sculptor Society committee for creating such a wonderful end-of-year celebration. For a full review of the catering and function contributors (not all are committee members), please read the President s Report in this Bulletin which covers the behind the scenes activities. It was a most enjoyable evening for all. After finding a seat at one of the six large dining tables, a game of heads and tails decided which group of diners could approach the buffet table first. And what a delightful sight met their eyes: four tables laden with scrumptious meats, fish and salads, all meticulously prepared, cooked and plated by dedicated committee members and their helpers. The formal part of the evening was short and sweet - President Feyona van Stom thanked her committee members individually and presented each one briefly to the gathering, after which a heartfelt round of applause ensued. And then the icing on the cake - the dessert was presented! The chocolate mousse, pudding and cakes were warmly received by all. 6
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INCINERATOR ART SPACE EXHIBITION 2017 THEME: WIND 2 SMALL STREET, WILLOUGHBY, NSW 2068. The Application Forms to download are now on our website, and as well this year our new Treasurer Assistant, Shirley Li, has simplified the entry process with a link to an online form for those who will enjoy doing it this way. Very easy. Look for this on our website under Forms. To organise our publicity and paperwork effectively we ask that you also send your entry photos and information to me, Eva Chant, at the address on the form, or email to sculpt1@bigpond.net.au. (Eva s Society mailbox). I collect all member s works for our files. We hope for a big turnout for this important event this year with your participation of indoor and outdoor works being submitted. All conditions of Entry are on the form which will be broadcast to you shortly as a reminder. A highlight of this year s exhibition will be our invited sculptor guests from Japan who will be showing their artworks and giving a Forum presentation as part of our exhibition. Details on this will be sent to you at a later date. Setup: Tuesday 28 March staggered between 9am and 1pm. Bump out: 24 April, staggered between 9am and 12 midday. Put this date into your diary and please have your Entry Forms back to us by 16 March 2017. Exhibition begins Wednesday 29 March to 23 April 2017 (which includes Easter) Setup: Tuesday 28 March, staggered between 9am and 1pm. Bump out: 24 April. Any questions please call Feyona van Stom 0408 226 827, or Eva Chant 0418 250 456. Photo of Incinerator Art Space, Willoughby, by Feyona van Stom Latham Australia Pty Ltd 14 Tennyson Rd, Gladesville, NSW 2111 Ph: 1300 LATHAM (528426) Web: www.latham-australia.com Email:sales@latham-australia.com For over 30 years Latham s have been supplying the stone industry, amateur and professional Stone Masons, Sculptors, and Marble and Granite users. We continue to support the Sculptors Society with the annual David Latham Memorial Award for Outstanding Work in Stone. Our range includes Cuturi Pneumatic Hammers, hand and machine Tungsten Carbide Chisels, nylon mallets, bitch picks, diamond blades, grinding wheels and disks. Sealers, polishers, waxes, cleaners, mastic and epoxy also in stock. Either drop into our showroom or contact us today for assistance. 8
MEMBERS NEWS: JANE DAWSON: SAWMILLER S EXHIBITION 2016 I was fortunate to win the People s Choice Prize, donated by the Tribe family, for my life size sculpture of the Emu (head down) at Sculpture at Sawmiller s 2016 Exhibition opened by the former Governor General Quentin Bryce. The Exhibition is held every two years and is organized by Elsa Atkin. Also, my sculpture of a Bilby was chosen by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy to present to Sir David Attenborough for his 90th Birthday. I received a delightful letter from him thanking me and commending the wonderful work that the AWC do in protecting and generating our precious wildlife. SAWMILLERS EXHIBITION BY JOHN LYNCH I found the Sawmillers exhibition very enjoyable this year. There was a large range of work mostly wellsited with a just a few exceptions. The organisation was efficient with a minimum of fuss and a fair bit of flexibility. The opening was really well done with Quentin Bryce doing the honours, nice food and drinks, a performance and of course the beautiful location on the harbour. I was able to catch-up with sculptors that I knew and also meet new people and sculptors. My work, Life/boat, wasn t very well sited in my opinion. I had designed the work in response to the brief regarding the use of timber relating to the sawmill once situated there and also regarding the wreck just off the shore. My work resembles the carcass of a wooden hull and is made of rough sawn timber, steel, fibreglass and marine ply with large bolts, washers and nuts prominent. I was disappointed my allocated site was in a garden a long way from the shore and the wreck. I think it is important to consider placement in terms of site-specifity and the audience before other hierarchies. Nevertheless, I would recommend getting involved if you have a suitable work. Quentin Bryce Japanese Drumming Performance 9
POETRY OF LIGHT BY TERRANCE PLOWRIGHT I first started thinking about light during my late teens and early twenties, and especially its influence on our daily lives and its extraordinary impact within the Universe, and the subject has fascinated me ever since. When the hypothesis of String Theory was put forward, I was especially interested, even excited, yet at the same time, hesitant. However, I did continue to follow the thinking and exploration of this new idea. A eureka moment for the scientific community proposing String Theory was the the discovery of the Higgs Boson (The God Particle) and when it s discovery was announced I become very excited as the Higgs Boson formed an integral part of String Theory and without its existence, String Theory looked difficult, even dead in the water. Hence, with the discovery of the Higgs Boson, which I believe at the time was the biggest scientific discovery in 60 years, I started playing around with the idea of a concept that paid tribute to this theory and the very fundamental nature and importance of its existence, as all strings of energy are responsible for the coming into existence of all particles including the Photon, LIGHT. So a number of sculptural ideas flourished, one in 2015 being a finalist in the McClelland Survey, a 6 metre high, interactive and kinetic work Dance Of Light. Over the past 2 years I have been playing around with a number of concepts that focus on String Theory and Light and my new design Poetry Of Light is the result of a 2 year study and development As seen on our front cover in which I have produced dozens of possible 3D ideas or concepts. Poetry Of Light in particular was designed over a period of months and is made up of 13 structural modules, each similar but each also slightly different and the Strings Of Light, also 13 modules, again, each slightly different. I am currently building a large scale model 1.2 metres x 1.2 metres x.75 metres which will be completed within the next two months. The main structural elements are being build from a structural grade plastic and the strings of energy Light are being created using a 1 mm diameter light absorbing polymer. My great desire is to eventually build this work at around 6 metres x 6 metres x 4.5 metres deep, and the main structural elements will be created using a combination of RHS and RS aluminium sections. I consider Light to be one of the most important phenomena in the physical universe playing a major role in underpinning the whole of living existence. Light dances within and around us, building and enriching our experience of reality. It feeds us and all other living organisms. It enables us to be active at night, lighting our streets, cities, homes etc. It lights our way as we drive at night and in times of old, without power, candle light served us exceedingly well. It builds all the images we see within our Televisions, Phones, ipads computers, etc. In philosophical, spiritual and religious worlds, light is commonly used to describe Truth, Revelation, Illumination and Understanding. Light is life affirming and is often used as a metaphor for goodness and the realisation of the profound nature of non violence or non-destructive behaviour. There is also an inner world of light, a world in which all living organisms exude a particular living radiance often experienced by those who manifest a profound sensitivity. In addition, the whole world of consciousness is a delightful conundrum in which light plays a fundamental role and in which we human beings are immensely rich living examples of Light manifest in flesh. My work is a tribute to this infinitely beautiful universal phenomenon, LIGHT. Around 5 metres high and wide by 3.5 metres deep. The main structural elements will be made from solid RHS aluminium section and the string light from light absorbent 2mm diameter polymer. 10
GALLERY SCHOOL SCULPTURE CASTING SERVICES AND SUPPLIES CLIVE CALDER MOB: 0404 076 683 TEL: 02 9977 0226 Email: australianbronze@bigpond.com Web: www.australianbronze.com DO YOU NEED A MOULD OR CAST OF YOUR SCULPTURE MADE? FRIENDLY / AFFORDABLE / PROFESSIONAL Contact for a free quote CLAIRETENNANT.COM.AU PH: 0411 355 606 Working with Silicones, plaster, fiberglass, resins, cold cast alloys and synthetic stones. NEW MEMBERS Welcome to our new member: Alissa Booker Associate Member We hope you join in our exhibitions and forum events. PLINTHS MADE TO ORDER Roger Fenton tel: 02 9488 8628 fax: 02 9440 1212 mob: 0417 443 414 Designed for structural integrity Light weight Affordable OTHER SCULPTURE SOCIETIES Victoria: www.sculptorsvictoria.asn.au Queensland: www.sculptorsqld.org.au BULLETIN ARCHIVES Archived copies of the Bulletin are available on our website: www.sculptorssociety.com Find the link in the 'Services' menu. SHARE YOUR NEWS WITH US If you have some interesting news to share with our members, please email Eva Chant with your articles/news and high resolution images: info@ sculptorssociety.com If you have information (and images) of your exhibition please send to Feyona and she can include on our facebook site: feyonavanstom@gmail.com The Sculptors Society Bulletins provide information, and topical news and views considered to be of interest to our readers. Nothing written here is intended as a substitute for professional advice, and no liability arising from our publications is accepted. Articles and reviews submitted may be edited at the discretion of the editor, and no correspondence in this regard will be entered into. All material (images, graphics and writing) appearing in this publication is subject to copyright interests claimed by The Sculptors Society and should not be copied or transmitted to electronic memory or otherwise without the previous written consent of the said Society. Copyright The Sculptors Society 2013. This publication was printed by Forestville Printing Sydney 02 9451 9665. COMMITTEE MEMBERS President Feyona van Stom Ph: 0408 226 827 feyona@vanstom.com 49 Rangers Ave, Mosman 2088 Co Vice President Sally Ann Aplin Ph: 9419 6453 25 Kooba Ave, Chatswood 2067 Co Vice President Vivienne Lowe Ph: 0409 906 653 P.O Box 82, Lane Cove,1595 Honorary Treasurer Feisal Ramadan Ph: 9945 0261 46 Kooringal Ave, Thornleigh, 2120 Honorary Member and Assistant to the Treasurer Shirley Li Ph: 0408 506 285 Honorary Secretary & Website Co-Ordinator Eva Chant Ph: 9481 9060 Mobile: 0418 250 456 10 Corang Rd, Westleigh, 2120 info@sculptorssociety.com Forum Director Gary Grant: 9785 4686 gdsgrant@optusnet.com.au Exhibitions Reviewer Angela Morrell Ph: 9498 6341 Bulletin Designer Ingrid Conde Ph: 0414 416 322 www.jevois.com.au Committee Members Lee Blattmann 0432 697 436 lee.blattmann@gmail.com Meike Davis 0411 232 113 Philippa Graham 0407 202 838 Jolanta Janavicius 9939 2180 Vrej Matossian - 0409 077 503 matoss@bigpond.com www.sculptorssociety.com ISSN 0728 1293 11
Amanda Harrison, 'Just Hanging On', ceramic