Three NSW farmers will leave the land for a weekend to take up more creative positions in front of potting wheels, kilns, mosaics and rusty metals at Rosby’s Sculptures In The Garden.
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Held over the weekend of October 11 and 12, the not for profit outdoor exhibition features local, regional and interstate artists. Proceeds from the weekend exhibition go to the Mudgee Support Group of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
Gulargambone artist Alison Dent will swap her large sheep and cattle enterprise for a Mudgee vineyard for the weekend, where her large-scale steel and corrugated iron works will sit alongside award-winning artists and sculptors from all over Australia.
“The challenge is certainly exciting and makes a big difference to my usual day-to-day life in farming,” she said
Ms Dent’s rural life is one of her strongest inspirations, particularly the sprawling landscapes that surround her in far west NSW.
“My work is derived from the environment in which I live and the amazing array of materials I see around me. It’s important to me to create works that will fit easily into the landscape and may also be useful and/or sustainable.”
Nyngan-based artist Anna Smith spends most of her time helping her husband David on their grazing operation.
But, like Alison, she makes time for creative pursuits on the kiln nestled into the foot of her garden, and will be showing some of her elongated clay sculptures at Mudgee’s annual exhibition in October.
A resourcefully collated fusion of copper wire, steel rods, timber fenceposts, scrap metal, glass and clay characterise Anna’s sculptures, influenced by well-known artists such as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
Meanwhile, on the banks of the Marra Creek district in Central West NSW, grazier Roshelle McKillop creates life-sized animal sculptures from found materials.
Roshelle is also Anna’s sister, and the two have previously shown their work at the Adelaide Art Festival, Royal Botanic Gardens, Outback Archies, and other exhibitions.
“I’m inspired mainly by animals and find my primary concern is to capture their movement, expression and character using a combination of mediums, including recycled rusty fencing wire, netting, copper, aluminium, steep and ceramics,” she said.
“All my work is designed to be displayed and enjoyed outdoors.”
