General | 19.10.16

River Dreaming – (of becoming a lake)

River dreaming – (dreaming of becoming a lake).

This work was recently sold by a gallery in Bowral. My inspiration for this worked came from my desire to connect with the environment and the spectacular landscape. When carving stone I use power tools, angle grinders and hammer drills as well as the traditional mallets and chisels. Sculpting is often a noisy, dusty and dangerous operation. It is not surprising that I spent many hours each work day on my own. I worked on this large sandstone block for many months while located on a cleared piece of bushland opposite Lake George, not far from Bungendore, NSW. The birds and a couple of dogs from the neighbouring property hung about and I was glad of the company.

Lake George

The last time Lake George was full was in 1998. The river disappeared underground and I think is due to reappear after approximately 20 years. The present cold windy and extremely wet Spring we are experiencing may indicate the waters of Lake George will reappear. I know the dry lake bed has sheep and cattle and the occasional lama. grazing upon its vegetation. Some areas are fenced off into grazing paddocks. These fences become submerged when the lake reforms and present an unseen hazard for those venturing onto the lake in boats.

Sculptural form

The form of the sculpture hints at the shape of the lake which is twice as long as it is wide. It takes about 4 hours to walk across the dry lake bed which gives you some idea of the scale. The dazzling blue sky dotted with white clouds arching overhead seems so vast. River dreaming is connected to this ancient landscape. The flowing abstract forms embody the energy and magic of this time and place.