“ I was born in Gunnedah. My father was a stock and station agent but he came from a sheep farming background. If you go back on Dad’s side my ancestor was sentenced to death in Wales for starting a riot with 6 others. It was at a time where the iron workers were all put out of jobs so there was a lot of protesting. They hung 2 of them and the other 4 were sent to Australia. He was sent to Macarthur and from that point on they were all sheep people. My mother was the daughter of a Sydney architect and my father was a real bushy so it was a strange mix. We left Gunnedah when I was 6, lived in Dubbo and then Cowra for a while. I spent most of my childhood in Tamworth and finished my high school in Grafton.
I wasn’t that creative growing up. I used to draw and paint though not very well. My father couldn’t use a screw driver. I guess the only influence was my grandfather being an architect who was passionate about woodwork though I didn’t inherit his tools. The only thing I can remember making as a kid was…I got a lump of wood and a piece of sandstone which I ground away until I made a knife.
I left school and did a year of Engineering, didn’t like that so changed to Architecture which I did for 2 years. I basically dropped out and came up here with the Aquarius Festival. University was free back then so you knew if you dropped out you could go back if you wanted to. The students ahead of me were making temporary shelters for the Aquarius Festival and designing them out of recycled materials. I lived at the back of Kyogle with a couple of mates in about 1975.
I eventually bought some acreage at Rock Valley. I’d saved some money through different jobs and inherited a bit from an uncle and I’m still there after 40 years. It was a dairy farm with some old trees and 2 creeks running through. It was mainly cleared but it’s almost all forested now. Over the years we have regenerated it. There was a couple of big Silky Oaks on the property which fell over so I’ve used some of that. The biggest problem is vines taking over so we’ve cleared a lot. We found this enormous White Beech after clearing which of course I am not going to chop down. It’s beautiful. Once you have a canopy it looks after itself pretty much.
I married in the early 80s and we have one son who grew up here and became a mad tennis player. We spent half our life taking him to tennis tournaments. He went down to see Tony Roche who organised for him to go to John Newcombe’s tennis camp in Texas. He worked and played for a year and got a scholarship which was in Idaho. He studied and played tennis for 4 years. He married a girl called Lindsay from Vegas who was a gymnast. They are both gym junkies. I thought I’d lost him to America but they came here and bought the Cross-fit gym in Ballina which they’ve had for 5 years.
I was interested in designing and making things. It was more feasible to make furniture as it was easier to sell than sculpture pieces. I exhibited in the late 90s at Beaver Galleries in Canberra. She was taking work to Chicago to SOFA which stands for Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art. I’ve never seen anything like it. You have this massive pavilion down on Lake Michigan and galleries from all over the world hire a space there. There’s something like 90 galleries. No painting, all sculpture, metalwork and glass. She would have a stand there with my work included. The money was flowing and it was exciting times. The show itself would blow you away. Opening night was $500 a ticket and a lot of very wealthy collectors would come through. It went totally flat after the financial crisis for a while. I still send the odd piece to The States. I see a real difference in the mindset in Australia. People are happy to pay good money for non functional items whereas Australians are more …. So what do I do with it? (laughs). So that was very different.
I have a couple of pieces at The Powerhouse Museum they purchased early on. I did some cabinetry for Parliament House in ’88 which was a big job. There was the Presiding Offices Award where you submit your pieces and I won the Parliamentarians Choice with a carved bowl which is in their permanent collection. When I was exhibiting in America the National Gallery bought one of my pieces.
This is the first exhibition I’ve had here in the Northern Rivers which is so lovely to do before I get too old. I’ve amassed a few pieces for the exhibition. Some pieces take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks or so to make. I draw everything. It’s a very disciplined, mathematical process. I might make a model but when I make it I have to draw it and transfer it exactly to the wood when I make it. I’m not a purist with using tools, whatever works. In the roughing out stages I might use power tools and then it’s hand carving chisels and endless sanding and finishing. I can think a piece is almost done and then there is another week to go to get it perfect. I teach as well which I enjoy. I am just about to start some weekend classes. I’m supposed to be in France at this time. I got offered to teach in the south of France. They were paying my airfare, accommodation, food and 3600euros and I was so excited but I had this exhibition at the Lismore Regional Gallery at the same time and I knew I couldn’t do both so I knocked it back. Long story short they have invited me back in May next year so I will get to do both.”
‘Grants beautiful exhibition is currently on at the Lismore Regional Gallery.’
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