Leather artist – Cottage workplace

I just wanted to share the fact that Hiroyuki has been featured in a magazine for his quality handmade leather work.

Who is Hiroyuki; and how do we know him? When Fiona and I were in Tatebayashi (Japan) for the art-culture exchange in April apart from meeting a lot of great people such as Hiro, Bessie, Cathy and Tombow; we were also lucky enough to meet a young couple Hiroyuki and Yoko. We met by accident really. We went to a bar to have dinner after setting up the exhibition and sat on a platform next to them and a conversation started over the fact that we had the same Merrill shoes. We joined tables and had had a good night with poor language communication but great sign language, good will and beer.

A couple of days later we were invited to visit Hiroyuki’s Cottage workplace and of course go to a bar to drink whisky etc. We have kept spasmodic contact with Yoko and Hiroyuki since then and hope they will visit us in Maleny some day.

But the good news is that Hiroyuki's work now has exposure through the magazine - Daytona MonoBros. Well done!!

Andy Goldsworthy in person

In an earlier posting I indicated how much I admired and was inspired by Andy Goldsworthy’s work. You can imagine my excitement when Fiona read that he was to do a presentation in a town that is about 40ks from where we live. Andy Goldsworthy in Australia and in a town nearby and doing a public presentation!!!! Fiona immediately booked us in for the event. So last Friday after a morning’s work in Deception Bay, and after Fiona had picked her best friend Sue up from the train at Beerwah, we made a beeline to Kenilworth to participate in the presentation.

The event was held in the Kenilworth community hall – which was hot – and I mean hot – we all should have paid for the free sauna. They say one must suffer for one’s art but I’m sure there are limits. Someone please give them money for fans. Anyway I digress.

Andy had been bought out from Scotland to investigate the possibility of doing a sculptural work for a new Conondale 7 hour bush walk. His presentation was a photographic mini review of his new work over the last twelve months. I am amazed just how much he does in a year – both permanent and ephemeral works. It was so energising to listen to his passion for the environment and his work.



As you can see I got to talk to him briefly and Fiona managed to get a signature or two in the books from our library. And yes we know we are tragic.

It is likely Andy will return to Kenilworth a couple more times as the design, agreement and possible construction process unfolds. We hope we are fortunate enough to meet him again. A great ordinary but extraordinary man.

Spiral – poetry in metal and wood

I have completed the work on my latest artists’ book.

I have incorporated the following poem by Poetic Muse into the piece:

Close your eyes and see the spiral in your mind
Inhale the colors
Let them heal you and cleanse you
Spirals have no beginning
Spirals have no end
Our galaxy is a spiral
But it is small compared to other galaxies
We are part of the spiral of humanity
Go with the flow of the spiral
Let the colors paint your soul

The metal pages from my earlier post are now incorporated into the piece. Five metal pages make up the spirals on each of the four sides and each spiral carries two lines of the poem;

and the last two lines are on the top in the form of a spiral.

Deep Red and Mini

Good news folks – at least for me the lunch box legend - the back issue is resolved and I am again dangerous – to myself of course.

Fiona and I have been off line for a couple of days. For some reason after a recent storm our area lost all telephone connection and of course that means internet. Two days of deprivation – we were getting a bit jittery but we are back online and all is well.

There is so much to report including Andy Goldsworthy’s visit to Kenilworth, Sue’s visit and finishing both the COMA and Mackay pieces. Thought tonight I might share the COMA piece . As you know I started with a big cube of rose gum and then carved it.

Well I have worked it a bit more and have added a twist because I got a bit carried away and not only completed Deep Red but did a mini version of map reference 26SX152E. Deep Red is about 350mm cubed whereas Mini Deep Red is 50mm cubed. You can see the difference in size as Mini sits on top of and in front of Deep Red - Mini is about a 50th the size of Deep Red.

Just love the colour and form of Deep Red but also the jewel-like appearance of Mini Deep Red. Interesting what results from retaining the design but changing the dimensions and materials.

Legend in my lunch box?

As indicated in an earlier post I have been somewhat incapacitated with back muscle strain – I have to find lighter timber and gravel??? And I have been under strict instructions from Fiona (physios never really give it up)as to: what exercises I must do; and what movements are good for me; and lifting I’m not to do while she was in Sydney for a couple of days work – she knows me too well.

I was talking to her earlier today and reporting what a good lad I’d been in that I had resisted the temptation to lift the COMA cube up off the floor onto the bench to continue working on it – it weighs a ton (be very afraid Ken).



She agreed that it was so unlike me – she said she was almost speechless (I think she nearly had to sit down for a bit such was the shock); and that I was in danger of becoming a legend in my own lunch box. Somehow I don’t think that was a compliment.

Metal pages

The pressure is on to get the artists’ book completed in the next few days. Fortunately straining a few muscles in my back has meant that I can’t get outside and haul gravel and do other landscaping jobs on the block – so the art work for Mackay and COMA have got a bit of a move along.

I finished the metal pages for my artists' book today – I think the shape and some of the patina looks great. The poem I am using is stamped on the pages – takes quite a long time and accuracy to get the words into the metal so to speak - but I like the combination of the three dimensional work and the written word.

Placemaking path kick-starts ArtSite

In a couple of earlier posts I reported on the progress of the placemaking path that Edith-Ann had initiated and a number of us contributed to the construction of. The first photo shows a view of the completed path including the garden created by Edith-Ann and Carol. The other photo is Bev Hand (local Aboriginal elder) making her hand marks on the first people panel of the path.

The path was officially opened on the 11 November by our local councillor Jenny McKay. I will post a few photos when I get my hands on them. There was a good turnout of people to witness the event. Jenny said it was the first time she had opened a path – but of course it was much more than a path – it is now a place for people.

Making the path also provided the incentive to establish a body to promote, coordinate and manage community and placemaking art in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. That new body is ArtSite. ArtSite is a cooperative community enterprise established at a meeting of artists and other community members at the Hinterland Business Centre on the 5 November.

Members of ArtSite come from the Sunshine Coast Hinterland; have a range of backgrounds (artists, urban planners, project managers, place designers); and bring a range of skills to the ArtSite community enterprise. It is managed by a committee of volunteers.

The first ArtSite project is under development so I will post more on that later.

Sculptor combines rust and ceramic forms

Sometimes we come across a fellow artist whose work just seems to resonate with you. Last night Fiona and I attended the opening of Kim Schoenberger’s exhibition at Maleny Artworks Gallery.

We were both impressed with how well her larger sculptural pieces were designed and resolved. She has combined the texture, great glaze and strong lines of her ceramic work with the rust of found objects and rusted welded pedestals. Of course we had to buy some of her work for the block. It will continue to rust and weather nicely outside when installed in our rock river.

Photos of a few pieces from the exhibition are attached – but the exhibition is really worth a visit either physically or virtually.

Deep red - timber and earth

Life on the block is quite diverse at the moment. Fiona has posted a couple of times about the bounty from the garden – she did not report that it is also a great time for weeds to be bountiful - so as well as harvesting lots of great vegies we are also at war with the weeds. It is also the time of the year for us to get into house maintenance so the last week or so has seen the decks being cleaned and spruced up with a fresh coat of deck finish – hard on the knees but they are looking good and the timber is protected again.

Still we have had time to continue developing our pieces for COMA and Mackay. My COMA cube is taking on a new shape as a response to the map reference Ken gave me for the Maleny Image 6 challenge.


The photos show the chainsaw has been in action to cut a good wedge off the cube and now the topography is being carved into the top face – some good texture and timber grain showing through; and the deep red grain of the rose gum below will be great once it is oiled.

Recycled materials

One lesson I learnt from the In the Stillness exhibition was that I have an ongoing love of and commitment to using as much salvaged and recycled material in each piece of my work as I can. Obviously I need to use new glues and rivets etc but the main body of work can be based on reuse. I also learnt that in the main metal and timber are the materials I warm to most – with a bit of Perspex thrown in occasionally.

I am currently working on both a COMA piece and also a piece for the Artspace Mackay artists book exhibition. The Mackay piece will be an artists book with a sculptural form – as indicated in my rough sketch.

You can see from the photos that the materials I start with can be fairly rough but the new form and at times the cutting and polishing will bring out the latent beauty of the materials.