Sculpture Bermagui 2021

Dream Dweller

Materials: Driftwood that has floated on a moonlit sea; Southern Blue Gum - hand sawn branch (saved from a felled tree); linen/polyester fabric sourced from a Gentleman's trousers; stuffing; plywood; saved steel screws; kept aluminium wire; PVA glue; balsawood; wax; ink; graphite; treasured feather; cotton thread; time; imagination; fear; delight and the Universe.

Size: 47x 47 x 15 cm 

Artist Statement: Dreaming dissolves the boundaries between the conscious and subconscious. In dream, all things become possible. Yet... on waking reflection... often only shadows and threads remain.

I am so pleased to finally have made something to go in the Sculpture Bermagui exhibition after years of telling myself “next year” - it represents a return to sculpture in my art practice with all it’s delights and complexities!

I started thinking about this sculpture in 2019 ... I had found a piece of driftwood years before that reminded me of a dog head; and had managed to save numerous branches that had 'leg-like' qualities in 2018, when a tree came down in our back yard.
It was then a matter of contemplating how a wonderful set of legs and head could be combined to make a dream creature.

I tried various things, including a clay torso but had issues with weight, connection and balance.

I went on to make a sketch- hand stitched, fabric torso using the clay torso as a template for a pattern - things were looking better but I needed to improve the finish, somehow connect it all together and stabilise it! So many challenges!

I wanted the base to be integral conceptually to the sculpture, so I rigged up a lightbulb dangling from a tripod and traced the shadow. I then scanned my tracing and drew it in cad and sent it to be laser cut out of plywood. (thank you Kel from Gaslite Design in Quaama)

I was looking for some linen in op shops and finally found an old pair of DJ’s men’s trousers in a linen polyester blend at Vinnies in Braidwood... these were to become the torso. This, I redid a couple of times with some adjustments, sewing patterns on the body reminiscent of bark and moth larvae trails- I wanted to express the stitching and leave the threads loose... threads of dreams dangling and tangling when we wake. Finally, I connected it together using long fencing screws through the base and wire; with stuffing sourced from a broken doll.

My original mock up had no arms but on reflection with the other elements, I felt they were needed. So... how the hell could I make convincing arms that would work with the materials I was using? Determined, I measured my arm and scaled it to the torso and had a few stabs at sewing some up - a day or so of perseverance and I had them looking acceptable - but what about hands? I went through all my little treasures and found a piece of driftwood that was the right scale that I could cut and partially carve to make hands... and they worked!

Arm position was next - a hard thing to decide- and they had to fall within the shadow cast. Hand on heart and an arm cast protectively over the house of the dreamer... a Crested pigeon feather and a ladder of threads for the dreamer to climb, completed the story.

I Hope you enjoyed this little insight into my making process :)