Keeping up with Ralph

Ralph went off to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

Ralph and round base are created from rolled steel strap and rod. 
Dimensions: 1 metre high x 1100 long

Cosmo the dog

Cosmo is created from flat steel strap and rod. 

Dimensions: 650cm high x 1300 long

Cosmo at the beach before she goes to her new home in the leafy suburbs of Melbourne.

Cosi and her friend

2016 was my year of the dog.  After much experimentation, I discovered the capacity for rolled steel bar to create the movement and personality that I was seeking. Our dog, Cosi is keeping her friend company while they survey their new territory.

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Dimensions - 350cm high x 900 length

Emerging

The perfect lotus emerges from the muddy murky depths which are also surprisingly beautiful. As the natural flower also decays, this steel flower will eventually rust and change. The use of discarded old barrel hoops to hold the piece is part of my desire to reuse metal crafted objects with deep respect for the people who originally made them.
The flower was originally cut from steel plate and then shaped in a forge, finished with vitreous enamel. The pond is fabricated from thickened glass painted with vitreous enamel with LED lighting. The steel pot is fabricated from wine barrel hoops treated to reduce corrosion

680 wide x 350cm high. Ideally it should be located on a sheltered covered deck or inside.

Lotus pods

I first saw a lotus pod at the Melbourne Buddhist Centre and decided I would love to try making some. As I worked my first pods in a forge, I developed a deeper understanding as to why this plant is so revered. The original corny title “When I grow older, can I look like you?” is based on the sense of wonder I experienced. Since then I haven't really been able to find a title that really works.

It is also fitting that this plant which grows in mud is sitting in a pot constructed from railway spring washers which I dug out of the ground at a disused railway yard in the western suburbs of Melbourne.  As a I made this pot, I thought often of the people and the skills involved in fabricating the washers.

Dimensions – 800 mm high and 300 mm wide. Ideally it should be located on a sheltered covered deck or inside.