Figure

Push up

June 19th, 2010 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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201005-Pushup-135x350x150

2010  |  Push up  |  135mm x 350mm x 150mm

Seeking Penny

June 19th, 2010 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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201005-Penny-135x350x150

2010  |  Penny  |  135mm x 350mm x 150mm

In a Tangle

February 5th, 2010 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2010InaTangle1940x400x320 

2010  |  Wood  |  1940 x 400 x 320

Jump

January 8th, 2010 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2009Jump750x390x130

2009  |  Jump  |   750mm x 390mm x 130mm

Sensual Soul

November 30th, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2009SensualSoul1190x370x200

2009   |   Sensual Soul   |   1190mm x 370mm x 200mm

Diver

November 2nd, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2009Diver1010x580x120

2009   |   Diver   |   1010mm x 580mm x 120mm

Shrink

August 26th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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Bone sculpture
2009   |   Shrink   |   925mm x 270mm x 230mm

Diver

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1994 Diver human figure wooden sculpture
1994   |   Diver   |   3200mm x 900mm x 600mm

Collection: Tatham Art Gallery

Man

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1994 Man human male figure wooden sulpture
1994   |   Man   |   2230mm x 900mm x 450mm

Icarus

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1995 Icarus male wings wooden figure sculpture
1995   |   Icarus   |   2300mm x 2000mm x 300mm

Collection: Pretoria Art Museum

Mermaid

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1995 Mermaid Human Figure female wooden sculpture mythology sea
1995   |   Mermaid   |   2700mm x 600mm x 350mm

The tripped-up man

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1995 The Tripped Up Man wooden figure sculpture
1995   |   The tripped-up man   |   2100mm x 1900mm x 500mm

Thandi

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1997 Thandi wooden human figure female sculpture
1997   |   Thandi   |   650mm x 830mm x 250mm

Touchy-feely eel

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1997 Touchy Feely Eel wooden animal sulpture
1997   |   Touchy-feely eel   |   1900mm x 700mm x 300mm

Zephyr

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1997 Zephyr female figure human wooden sculpture
1997   |   Zephyr   |   900mm x 1400mm x 70mm

Lily bringer

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1998 Lily Bringer Female human figure wooden sculpture
1998   |   Lily bringer   |   2200mm x 1600mm x 250mm

Liesel’s Ava

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2001 Liesel's Ava female wooden sculpture
2001   |   Liesel’s Ava   |   2000mm x 500mm x 400mm

Little maid

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2001LittleMaid480x150x100
2001   |   Little maid   |   480mm x 150mm x 100mm

On the beach

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2002 On The Beach Male human figure wooden sculpture
2002   |   On the beach   |   560mm x 1770mm x 160mm

The Egyption

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2002 The Egyption wooden sculpture
2002   |   The Egyption   |   1220mm x 500mm x 90mm

Adam

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2003 Adam wooden sculpture
2003   |   Adam   |   2490mm x 580mm x 700mm

Reed dancer

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2003 Reed Dancer wooden sculpture
2003   |   Reed dancer   |   2460mm x 400mm x 200mm

Bushwoman

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2006 Bushwoman wooden sculpture
2006   |   Bushwoman   |   2670mm x 2010mm x 700mm

Stilted

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2006 Stilted wooden sculpture
2006   |   Stilted   |   620mm x 720mm x 630mm

Urban guerrilla

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2008 Urban Guerrilla wooden human male figure sculpture
2008   |   Urban guerrilla   |   1780mm x 1050mm x 620mm

Banana boy

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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2009 Banana Boy wooden figure
2009   |   Banana boy   |   1660mm x 1740mm x 240mm

Travels to the interior

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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Travels To The Interior wooden sculpture with dog, bird and human figure
2009   |   Travels to the interior   |   470mm x 750mm x 200mm

The river

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1998 The River Female human figure stone sculpture
1998   |   The river   |   2000mm x 3960mm x 300mm

Stone Age

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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1992Stoneage100x120x90
1992   |   Stone Age   |   100mm x 120mm x 90mm

Bath babe

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Paper and ceramics | No Comments
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1983BathBabe
1983   |   Bath babe

Terracota figure

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Paper and ceramics | No Comments
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1983Terracotafigure520mmx370mmx320mm
1983   |   Terracota figure   |   520mm x 370mm x 320mm

Standup

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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2009Standup710mmx300mmx130mm
2009   |   Standup   |   710mm x 300mm x 130mm

Runner

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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2008Runner640mmx185mmx80mm
2008   |   Runner   |   640mm x 185mm x 80mm

Langdraai

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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2008Langdraai730mmx340mmx100mm
2008   |    Langdraai   |   730mm x 340mm x 100mm

Fair ou

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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2008Fairou465mmx.80mmx150mm
2008   |   Fair ou   |   465mm x 80mm x 150mm

Dancer

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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2008Dancer650mmx230mmx80mm
2008   |   Dancer   |   650mm x 230mm x 80mm

Backflip

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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2008Backflip200mmx530mmx130mm
2008   |   Backflip   |   200mm x 530mm x 130mm

Icarus

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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2003Icarus460mmx320mmx160mm
2003   |   Icarus   |   460mm x 320mm x 160mm

Watcher

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | Comments Off
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1999Watcher300mmx200mmx100mm
1999   |   Watcher   |   300mm x 200mm x 100mm

Shopping in Africa

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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1999ShoppingInAfrica370mmx105mmx105mm
1999   |   Shopping in Africa   |   370mm x 105mm x 105mm

Black fairy

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1994BlackFairy900mmx350mmx200mm
1994   |   Black fairy   |   900mm x 350mm x 200mm

Banner man

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Wood | No Comments
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1994Bannerman1100mmx700mmx450mm
1994   |   Banner man   |   1100mm x 700mm x 450mm

Ride the wave

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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1993RideTheWave330mmx640mmx140mm
1993   |   Ride the wave   |   330mm x 640mm x 140mm

Dominic’s angel

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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1987DominicsAngel420mmx190mmx120mm
1987   |   Dominic’s angel   |   420mm x 190mm x 120mm

Priest

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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1985Priest250mmx180mmx180mm

Female Figure

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Gallery, Stone and bronze | No Comments
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1985FemaleFigure200mmx140mmx120mm

Leap frog

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006LeapFrog400mmx300mmx115mm
2006   |   Leap frog   |   400mm x 300mmx 115mm

Mount Fuji’s shadow

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006MountFujisShadow
2006   |   Mount Fuji’s shadow

Treed hunters

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2000TreedHunters390mmx300mmx190mm
2000   |   Treed hunters   |   390mm x 300mm x 190mm

Before the fall

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007BeforetheFall690mmx240mmx180mm
2007   |   Before the fall   |   690mm x 240mm x 180mm

Full circle

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006FullCircle1100mmx470mmx230mm
2006   |   Full circle   |   1100mm x 470mm x 230mm

Snake catcher

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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1985SnakeCatcher170mmx60mmx20mm
1985   |   Snake catcher   |   170mm x 60mm x 20mm

Seaside lady

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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1986SeasideLady375mmx450mmx125mm
1986   |   Seaside lady   |   375mm x 450mm x 125mm

The fair ou’s and the bruin ou’s

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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1990TheFairOusAndTheBruinOus260mmx310mmx120mm
1990   |   The fair ou’s and the bruin ou’s   |   260mm x 310mm x 120mm

Collection: Tatham Art Gallery

Little fisherman

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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1995LittleFisherman600mmx65mmx50mm
1995   |   Little fisherman   |   600mm x 65mm x 50mm

Waisted

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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1995Waisted390mmx220mmx190mm
1995   |   Waisted   |   390mm x 220mm x 190mm

Dianna the huntress

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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1998DiannaTheHuntress240mmx540mmx100mm
1998   |   Dianna the huntress   |   240mm x 540mm x 100mm

Big Ben

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2002BigBen875mmx170mmx140mm
2002   | Big Ben   |   875mm x 170mm x 140mm

Dancer

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2002Dancer360mmx350mmx190mm
2002   |   Dancer   |   360mm x 350mm x 190mm

Hercules

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2003Hercules600mmx50mmx65mm
2003   |   Hercules   |   600mm x 50mm x 65mm

Collection: Ann Bryant

Monk by the sea

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2003MonkByTheSea460mmx60mmx20mm
2003   |   Monk by the sea   |   460mm x 60mm x 20mm

Slipping away

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2003SlippingAway260mmx590mmx150mm
2003   |   Slipping away   |   260mm x 590mm x 150mm

Emotional acrobats

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2004EmotionalAcrobats1060mmx130mmx300mm
2004   |   Emotional acrobats   |   1060mm x 130mm x 300mm

Last wave

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2004LastWave760mmx880mmx190mm
2004   |   Last wave   |   760mm x 880mm x 190mm

Thorn in my foot

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2004ThornInMyFoot760mmx710mmx190mm
2004   |   Thorn in my foot   |   760mm x 710mm x 190mm

Aviator

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2005Aviator1050mmx700mmx260mm
2005   |   Aviator   |   1050mm x 700mm x 260mm

Monkey buisness

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2005MonkeyBuisness510mmx120mmx105mm
2005   |   Monkey buisness   |   510mm x 120mm x 105mm

Bend over backwards

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006BendOverBackwards410mmx335mmx100mm
2006   |   Bend over backwards   |   410mm x 335mm x 100mm

Chickenman

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006Chickenman480mmx145mmx135mm
2006   |   Chickenman   |   480mm x 145mm x 135mm

Guardian

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006Guardian595mmx110mmx160mm
2006   |   Guardian   |   595mm x 110mm x 160mm

Mind the baby

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006MindTheBaby350mmx250mmx100mm
2006   |   Mind the baby   |   350mm x 250mm x 100mm

Sexual advance

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006SexualAdvance1050mmx280mmx290mm
2006   |   Sexual advance   |   1050mm x 280mm x 290mm

Stretch

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2006Stretch275mmx850mmx205mm
2006   |   Stretch   |   275mm x 850mm x 205mm

A step to the right

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007AStepToTheRight490mmx235mmx115mm
2007   |   A step to the right   |   490mm x 235mm x 115mm

Anubis the dog in me

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007AnubisTheDogInMe505mmx190mmx240mm
2007   |   Anubis the dog in me   |   505mm x 190mm x 240mm

Foot loose

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007FootLoose580mmx210mmx140mm
2007   |   Foot loose   |   580mm x 210mm x 140mm

Little Adam

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007LittleAdam580mmx60mmx90mm
2007   |   Little Adam   |   580mm x 60mm x 90mm

Out there

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007OutThere820mmx350mmx310mm
2007   |   Out there   |   820mm x 350mm x 310mm

Railway man

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007RailwayMan650mmx230mmx180mm
2007   |   Railway man   |   650mm x 230mm x 180mm

Storm bringer

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007StormBringer600mmx300mmx170mm
2007   |   Storm bringer   |   600mm x 300mm x 170mm

Turn on me

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2007TurnOnMe730mmx665mmx115mm
2007   |   Turn on me   |   730mm x 665mm x 115mm

Balance

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2008Balance1870mmx840mmx420mm
2008   |   Balance   |   1870mm x 840mm x 420mm

Chicken skin

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2008ChickenSkin490mmx160mmx155mm
2008   |   Chicken skin   |   490mm x 160mm x 155mm

Dam dog

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2008DamDog335mmx150mmx140mm
2008   |   Dam dog   |   335mm x 150mm x 140mm

Directions

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2008Directions370mmx750mmx190mm
2008   |   Directions   |   370mm x 750mm x 190mm

Collection: Oliewenhuis gallery

Flight of fancy

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2008FlightOfFancy625mmx525mmx140mm
2008   |   Flight of fancy   |   625mm x 525mm x 140mm

Journey to the unknown

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2008JourneyToTheUnknown250mmx330mmx110mm
2008   |   Journey to the unknown   |   250mm x 330mm x 110mm

Lady at large

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2008LadyAtLarge500mmx125mmx230mm
2008   |   Lady at large   |   500mm x 125mm x 230mm

Underfoot

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2008Underfoot365mmx215mmx180mm

2008   |   Underfoot   |   365mm x 215mm x 180mm

Pink lady

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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2009PinkLady525mmx120mmx50mm
2009   |   Pink lady   |   525mm x 120mm x 50mm

Mother and child

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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MotherAndChild
Mother and child

Stage Whisper

August 20th, 2009 | Posted in Bone, Gallery | No Comments
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StageWhisper350mmx300mmx80mm

1996   |   Stage whisper   |   350mm x 300mm x 80mm

Love is in the genes

September 22nd, 2008 | Posted in Newsletter | No Comments
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My wife is away and contrary to the saying that the mice will play when the cat is away, it is all fetch, carry and cook for the children, to and from school, soccer, shopping and ballet. Whilst it is now obvious that I am going to appreciate her a lot more when she returns I am hoping that it will be the same for her. If, and when, she returns from her ceramics conservation courses somewhere in the Langkloof. I have learnt that we are engineered to sniff out a partner who is unlike oneself and thereby strengthening the gene pool. This rings true for our relationship and, like so many couples, we are as different as chalk is from cheese. I am not surprised that books on the subject have titles like ‘Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus’. I also understand that Afrikaans TV personality who called his female partner “Die Engelsman” (The Englishman). It illustrates the genetic joke played on our species. It seems that our partners are by design unlike us and therefore unlikely to be comprehensible to us nor are they likely to be comprehending of us. You could say they are from an entirely different culture and we are bewildered by one another.

In a cross pollination of culture this banana boy is going to Bloemfontein where I am to give a lecture and workshop and it has made me think of my connection with that part of the world. After my (original) father died we traveled from England to a farm called Langdraai, near Petrusberg which is half way between Bloemfontein and Kimberly. It was here that my (step) grandfather was a farmer, he provided a place for us to stay and the family was a support for my bereft mother. It was here that I uttered my first (Afrikaans) word which was “piesang” (banana). Later, after my second father’s demise, my mother returned to the ‘only had one shop’ village of Petrusberg and bought a house, where she intended to raise us. Fortunately, she managed to snare a new husband, they were married in Durban and he whisked us off to another remote village which was Tanga in Tanzania.

Perhaps the thought of going back to Bloemfontein has motivated me to make ‘Langdraai’ which is named after my Oupa’s farm. The name, which literally means long turn, also makes me think of the circuitous routes one travels only to return to ones roots. This work acknowledges a part of me that is connected to the platteland (flatlands or rural areas) a place so different from the hilly, forested and English speaking KwaZulu-Natal. I have a few memories of that place and those times. The images in my mind are of windmills, ice on the dam, chasing springbok in the veld, letting all the water out of the dam so that the fish were swimming between the carrots in the vegetable patch and the neighbours who had their coffin and death clothes permanently laid out on the dining room table, ready for the terminal day.

‘Langdraai’ and another small bronze or two have been cast in my back yard using a simple sand cast. These works are for me technically and aesthetically experimental. They are quickly carved in polystyrene, cast in sand moulds and then reworked. I am looking for an immediacy, expressive distortion, movement, texture and colour that is not often seen in bronze sculptures.

Strange as it may seem, part of my family has migrated from one culture to another. Not by marriage but by the deliberate cultivation of alien culture and as a result I have an Afrikaans cousin. We at the present time have a good historical perspective to understand this a rather strange thing to do. After all if I could, I would choose a culture where I would benefit from a host of cheap shares. Ironically it was easier for my Uncle as there was not an issue with pigmentation as he moved from a first class citizen to the ruling class and it primarily required learning a language. Thinking about it, those Sasol shares could have been a way to improve my Zulu, very quickly. It was however a bit of a cheek as this family came from English settler stock, went to English speaking schools and universities and to boot was also a family who (unsuccessfully) laid claim to the fortune left by the old Bonds of the Bond street in London.

A social advantage and the desire for money easily explain my family’s heritage hopping but do not explain the reason why genetically different people who cannot understand each other get together. My psychologist friends tell me that falling in love is a chemical trick your body plays on you in order to get you to breed. The chemistry must have worked as I remember our romance as intoxicating and I now have two children.

However, I think I am now past the chemical thing and am beginning to appreciate the intelligence of the genetic thing. Being different, my wife can do a lot which I can not. Her work is by its nature fastidious and painstaking whereas mine is creative and inventive. This separation has focused my mind on, and improved my appreciation for my wife, for the things she does differently and better than I do. Today, I will especially miss her editing my letters as I cannot spell, have no idea about punctuation, tenses and split infinitives, whatever they are. Whilst her editing is a painful ordeal my letters are infinitely better for her corrections and observations. It is perhaps a familiar refrain but in our unity and our diversity there is strength.

Wherever I lay my hat

August 29th, 2008 | Posted in Newsletter | No Comments
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It seems to me that I live by Murphy’s Law which states that if any thing can go wrong, it will. It started long before I could possibly be responsible for any of it. The dynasty of disaster probably goes all the way back to Cain but as I know it, it starts with my grandfather and his heart attack. A few years later my father crashed his jet and killed himself when I was three months old, then a second father followed who died of lung cancer within a few years. He was succeeded by father number three who was divorced and later died and then this sequence is nicely rounded off by father number four who was also attacked by his heart.

In the recent past it seems that Murphy’s Law is being implemented by the government. Apart from all the public issues they took five years to issue a permit which enables me to collect drift wood for my driftwoord art from a small area on the beach. The drift wood was the mainstay of my income at the time and one might have thought their intention was to render me unproductive and bankrupt. As a necessary alternative I focused on bone carving which flourished until recently, when those responsible for applying Murphy’s Law wanted to send out the armed forces to arrest me and my gallery for not having a permit for the bones. Eventually it transpired that no permit was needed for those particular bones and permits of this nature are supposed to be issued by the very people who gave me the bones in the first place, namely KZN Wildlife.

Life takes some unexpected turns and since I have returned from Australia I have been unsettled. On the positive side the inspirational pot has been stirred and I now want to try a few new things and revisit some old ones. I am making some bronze works, have started a work in strelitzia leaves and I have an idea involving Perspex car lenses. The work I have completed is a bone sculpture about migration called ‘Directions’ and I am sure I will have a few more works on this subject.

It is impossible to go to Australia and not think about migration. We were primed by many of our friends who asked if we were going for an LSD. Whilst I knew that Australia has some problems with drugs I was still mystified. The South African meaning of LSD in this context is an acronym for Look, See and Decide. That was not our intention. However what we saw impressed us and put the option of emigrating into the mix of things. There has been turmoil ever since.

This work depicts a number of directionless rowers, milling around on a fish boat. Fish are a symbol of happiness for me and the boat an image of the passage of life. I suppose this sculpture is about the decisions I need make to settle and find contentment.

I have come to the conclusion that no one emigrates at my age except those that are desperate. Why one would leave the country you are familiar with and love? Why leave lifelong friends and family? (Although many of them are now in Australia). I also realise that most of my business contacts are here and if I were to emigrate I would have to begin again and it may be years before I gain any reputation as an artist. In addition, and no matter how dispirited I feel about the South African situation, it seems that the Australian authorities regard anyone of my age and situation as decrepit, unemployable and probably undesirable. Perhaps they are right but exceptions are made for the hefty price of $750 000 Aus. Murphy’s Law as a disrupting force is active in my life not only in the big things, but also in the small things and on a daily basis.

Collecting the Perspex was easy as my friend Mark Robert owns Marmic, a vast scrap yard filled with crashed cars. However, Perspex is glued with chloroform and chloroform was recently deemed by the government as having schedule six status. I now need a prescription or a permit and, looking as I usually do in my tatty clothes like a tramp or drug addict, did not help. Then, after I had managed to persuade someone to sell it to me, I discovered it did not work in the way I had hoped it would.

Similarly, I have bones which need degreasing and I hoped to expedite the process by boiling them. It appeared an easy task, all I needed was a 44 gallon drum under which I would light a fire. However, the neighbour complained of the smoke, and since we live in a smokeless zone I had to put it out or face the fire brigade. Resolute in my purpose, I bought a gas ring but the gas proved insufficiently hot to boil the water and having gone to all this trouble I then found out that the drum was too small for the big bones.

I spend a lot of time doing nothing or at least doing something futile and having to redo it. Perhaps I should stick to my knitting and those areas where I have already sorted out the problems, but that is not as exciting. A way around the difficulties is eventually found. I need to weld two drums together, I have replaced the gas ring with a diesel burner, the Perspex can be welded with a soldering iron, and eventually I had two pharmacists who where willing sell me some chloroform.

A lot of what I do and enjoy about sculpture is finding the solutions to the problems. I am fortunate in that I remain positive and persevere with my projects as the only certainty is that things change and that change is often not to my advantage. It is important to see the difficulties as a challenge and to tackle them creatively. After all, life is tragic, difficult and unfair but it is also a privilege and opportunity.

I think I will be happy here, there or anywhere.