Artists of Australia
Inspired by the colour and texture of the outdoors -
Inspired by the colour and texture of the outdoors -
John Walters is now a weaver and sculptor - but as I found out when chatting to him this is only the current phase of a wonderful life of creativity . Locals to northern NSW might be familiar with his lovely work weaving baskets and animals - also creating pieces from garden materials including palm fronds and flower stalks. Increasingly you would also know him for his lifelike wire sculptures of Australian wildlife – many of which have been displayed in Sculpture shows as well as having been commissioned for homes all over the country. I had a fabulous visit with John and seeing so much of his art in the garden really inspired me to get going to look at putting more of my work into my garden – hope this story also inspires you to put more than just flowers into your garden! Does your garden influence your work – either in what you create or how it affects you? I use materials from the garden all the time - some of which I have even planted some specifically for that purpose like the Cordyline australis and the dragon plant which has great red parts on the leaf. I also planted Bangalow palms and I also gather bits from the street. I know where things are and I can go there to gather them if I need to - but I have lots of things stored as things fall at different times. Do you have a favourite corner in your garden? No special corner – I like to put art in the garden I call it my ‘gnomes’ – most of my artwork is now for outside – definitely the wirework. I also have clay items in the garden that I used to make – I still have a kiln. I did art at Tafe - I wasn’t allowed to do it at school as it didn’t fall into my 'academic' line . I was doing science and maths and English and art didn’t fit into it. I think I was seen to be an academic – but I did become an apprenticeship chef when I left school. I found creativity in that and I always painted and made things. I worked as a chef for 30 years till I moved to Mullumbimby. I was part of the cooking competitions at trade fairs – they used to have them Interstate, so I was competing with the Brisbane team. They would send teams to Melbourne once a year. Teams would make items like a hot kitchen; seafood platter, buffet platter etc and a centrepiece and I was responsible for the 'Centrepiece' for Queensland. Then they would pick an Australian team to compete in Germany every 4 years. I made them using special margarine and icing sugar or a salt dough. You make them in advance and could take three months to make. I made a display of aboriginal art for one of the German competitions. (See pic) I would also make old Queenslander houses out of the sugar. I took one of these to Melbourne and it got smashed on the way down – we had to display it as it was, and they thought I was using the Cyclone Tracy that had hit as inspiration. What is your favourite plant or flower? I don't have a particular one but I love native plants - like Grevillea and Callistemon which bring both the birds and the bees. My mum and dad were dairy farmers, so they worked hard to keep the farm looking good. My mum is a highly skilled crafts person producing beautiful knitting and crochet. In those days you had to be good at that type of thing. Dad was good at making things and fixing things – and now he still works in their garden at age 95. How does the act of ‘making’ relate to your personality and who you are? I call it the 'Repetition of nothing' – I am mainly busy with my wirework these days and it is all repetitive so I can sit and relax and listen to music and can it pick up or put it down at any time. I am just bending bits of wire at the moment or working with weaving of palm fronds or flower stalks and I can just pick them up and just keep on going. I found when I painted I needed at least 10 hours to get into it. Tell us about your career journey to date – did you always want to be an artist? When I retired and moved from Townsville to Mullumbimby I decided to go to Tafe and get back into my art. I did an Advanced Diploma of Ceramics and then I went to University and did Bachelor of Visual Arts. When you work you don’t have a lot of time but now I can do art all day if I want to. In hindsight it would have been great to just create art - and I think I could have made a living out of it - but my parents didn’t think it was a good idea. We tend to listen to our parents. When I left school I didn't know wha tot do and becoming a Chef seemed like a good idea. Could you talk us through your creative process? I think I always have at least a couple of ideas that grow in my head and, when I get the chance, then I make them. I see things in my head - for instance I want to make a couple of fighting kangaroos that are life size. I think they would be good for an outdoor exhibition. It will be interesting to work out the balance etc which will be quite hard. I have a couple of large pieces in the garage at the moment and I want to make a wombat with a koala on its back. It will be a piece about the awful recent bushfires – many wombats survived by going underground in the fires whereas the koalas went up the trees and died. I try and make things that are relevant to me and our area. What has been your most crucial tool to grow your creative business? I think participating in community activities like the markets and exhibitions like Art in the Park. I am also part of PAN Practicing Artists Network . I don’t tend to go outside of the area - I don’t show in Brisbane or Sydney as it is just too hard to get there. (I don't drive). Creating art is fun for me and I don’t want to turn it into hard work. What has been the most challenging lesson learnt since you started your art? It is definitely not to be too precious about what you make. For example the Queenslander house I made out of icing sugar for the centrepiece that was going to an Australian competition in Melbourne - that got smashed on the way down. This taught me not to be precious – it took 3 months to make. We just had to use it as it was but luckily they thought it was a house hit by cyclone Tracy. What’s been the best thing that has happened to you since you started? The people you meet – it is so nice to meet those who compliment you and similar people in the business. People seem to like my work and I try to keep it affordable. It is because I am now retired that I can do that. I like to sell my work regularly so I can keep making it. I don’t want it stacked in my garage. I loved ceramics but I still have heaps of it. Do you have any advice you might give your younger self? 'Follow your dreams' – you need to do what makes you happy. It is not so much about the money. If I had always done art I think I would be doing totally different things with my art today and hopefully making decent money from it. I really enjoy 3D work mostly so I think it would still have been that type of work. What are your top tips for a great garden? You have to let it grow. When we first moved here, we had no garden – we have been here 20 years now. I like to get things to look like a bush garden – more natural and unstructured. I also like to get various levels - for instance a canopy then a mid-section then ground cover. That takes time to grow. The garden here is an ever-evolving process. I must say I also like to have privacy from neighbours so that means fairly dense foliage on the border of the garden. Do you have any projects coming up you would like to talk about? I will be getting back to market soon - at the end of September at Bangalow on 27th and you can see my work in the Moller Pavilion along with the other artists who exhibit there. People can contact me to see my work or look at Instagram to view my work (johnwalters3615). I am always happy to talk about a commission if anyone is interested.
1 Comment
Cheryl
9/19/2020 06:56:09 am
Love him and his work, we have some ceramics here in Wisconsin we brought back after living in Byronshire.
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Kay KnightsI am an Australian artist who is crazy about her garden and I'm inspired by the colours and contrasts in my backyard. I truly believe that Gardening is Art - I believe that many Artists are similarly inspired in their gardens. This Blog is for me to go and meet some of them and share their gardens and art. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |