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About this website

You may have noticed I started this website with the word "AND".  The reason for this is that I tend to like songs that start with the word "and" because it feels like you are not hearing the whole story.  You are just catching a glimpse of what is a bigger picture or story.  That's a little bit like what is happening here.


Through this website, I will be showing work that to my mind is never finished.  Sometimes I will give you the story to go with the work and why I think it remains unfinished.  I might even share with you some unfinished writing projects, but my immediate priority is to present the artworks (sculpture, painting, furniture, and toolmaking).  


In the process of starting to put this site together, I have surprised myself just how much material I have available.  It is a long time since I put together an exhibition!  Even if you don't have any interest in buying, I hope you get some enjoyment from the images and stories that will unfold through this website over time.  If you do have an interest in buying, also consider whether you would like to commission a piece of work.  So, if you have a specific interest or need, don't hesitate to let me know.  Currently, I have two such projects to complete.


Also included in this website, you will find I be will adding some work of my collaborators and friends.  Initially, I am featuring a collection of paintings by Brian Miller, who went through art school.  These are mostly large scale paintings, oil on stretched canvas.  Over time, I will add dimensions, but you can mostly assume they are measured in feet or metres rather than inches or centimetres.  


And to finish:  ... a call out to anyone that bought or were gifted my artwork in the past, I would love to hear from you.  If you can spare the time, please send a picture of whatever work of mine that you have or had.  The picture may end up here on this website, but you won't be identified unless you would like to be.  If you still have a piece of my work and you would like to sell it,  I may pay you double or even more than what you originally paid for it.  This is a very limited offer, as this site is really about generating funds rather than spending more money!

Sculpture

King George whiting

These King George Whiting are inspired by my love of fish and fishing.  They come in various sizes from 46.5 cm up to 242 cm.  They are laser cut from stainless steel. They can be presented horizontally or vertically, or on any angle that suits you.  The background makes a big difference to how they look. They are easy to install.  There is a very limited number available for sale.  Many thanks to Aaron Chudleigh who refined my original drawing to render it suitable for laser cutting.

Mosquito

This mosquito sculpture was made at one of our blacksmithing workshops with famed South Australian Blacksmith, Geoff Barnes. It was created partly from scrap steel items from my own collection and from some small scraps of steel that Geoff had on hand.  It is a family favourite and at this stage is not anticipated to be available for sale.



The Monster
king george

This monster of a King George Whiting measures 242 cm so is taller than me.  It is a great feature that seems to stand out on just about any background.  This one is not for sale at this stage (but never say never).  There is a slightly smaller one that I might be willing to let go of, even though it is not undersized by any means.  Only one of each size was made of these much larger sizes, so they are very rare.  There is no plan to cut any more.



Sculpture 

including scrap
from
salisbury engineering

The Yabby series

The Yabby Series started when I found a single piece of scrap at Salisbury Engineering, that being the main shape that made up the body of the yabby.  Everything else followed from that.  Having made one huge one that was very satisfying, (and popular), I had to follow it up with smaller ones.

Angelfish

There are times when sifting through scrap metal bins, you find something immediately recognisable, that doesn't need much to make it a sculpture.  I imagine, it is a bit like finding a nugget of gold or a gold coin on the surface, with no effort required to get it out of the ground.



The parrot series

The first parrot I made was called 'The Major'.  It was fairly large and the beak of the parrot was based on some scrapped jaws of a major sort of bolt-cutters (I have never seen that shape turn up again).  The Major lives in the Eastern states somewhere.


The one above is my second parrot. In this case it was the single scrap piece that makes up the beak that I saw, and I just happened to have an ideal stand on hand for it to become a parrot.  Believe it or not, this beak doubles as a successful bottle opener.

more Sculpture

turtle series

These turtle sculptures are among my favourites.  The simplicity and lack of energy in making them appeals to me.  They are all in private collections.  They are made simply from 4 pieces of scrap steel from the late Don Wedding's compressor factory.  The pieces didn't require any cutting.  They just have a little bit of bending to the front legs to give them a bit more life.

Elliott's kiwi

This kiwi sculpture was made at home by Elliott and I.  It took two people to make it due to the fragile nature of the feathers.  It was a very rewarding outcome even though it was a lot of fiddly work.  I hope to upload a video so you can see it in more detail.  Click 'LEARN MORE' to find out if I have uploaded the video.


The Outdoor Smoker series

This is one of a series of outdoor smokers I made.  Some were sold and some were gifted to people.  The intention was to create an appealing outdoor ashtray.  This was at a time when it was becoming increasingly frowned upon for people to smoke indoors.  

This is in a private collection.  The owner had a funny story to tell.



Yes, more Sculpture

Duck series

These duck sculptures are also among my favourites due to their simplicity and lack of energy in making them.  They are made from just 3 pieces of scrap steel.  The scrap is a mixture of pieces from the late Don Wedding's compressor factory and from Salisbury Engineering that used to be on Stanbel Road.  The pieces didn't require any cutting.  In some cases they just have a little bit of grinding to refine the shape of the the duck bills.


I tend to like the rustic look, but they can also look great when polished up and lacquered (to see an example of that look, check out the Mosquito sculpture or the three snook on a wall.

snail series

This snail sculpture is one of a pair.  The pair make up the larger of a series of snails.  The earliest snails were all sold and were made from scrap towbar tongues and bolts with a spring as the home of the snail.  The bases of these two larger snails were made from shapes obtained from Don Wedding's scrap bin.  The tapered springs on these ones contrast with the relatively straight springs used in other snails.


gumby horse

This is one of two 'Gumby' characters I made.  This one is made from five scrapped railway dogs simply welded together.  



My Chaotic workspace

What you can see here is my hand-operated forge that gets used for work that is small enough to do at home.  The forge was picked up in an auction at Templers many years ago.  It was presented as an immaculately  painted garden feature, but as soon as I saw it, I knew what it would be used for - not as a decoration, that's for sure.  


It has fortunately stood the test of time and the weather.  I need it to be outside so I dont succumb from carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases. On this small forge, I tend to use charcoal rather than coke as fuel.  I find charcoal stays alight easier than coke without having to crank the handle all the time.  


When I am not using it for sculpture, furniture, and tool-making, this forge makes a very good heat source for barbecues.  The barbecue plate you can see here is a heavy cast iron one bought from Paramount Browns back in the days when they would let us scour their scrap heap.  To keep the weather off, I cover the forge with an old  Weber Kettle lid (found on the side of the road) so it can also make some great home-cooked grills and roasts.

Contact -
Get in Touch



The Suburbs

Adelaide 5000


Phone: 0458 080 015

E-mail: garry.raymond@bigpond.com