Driftfoot Dean Ware | Photographer
Driftfoot Dean Ware
Phone: +61 488 394 529
Reviews
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22.01.2022 Well, a year to the day since the fires swept through the South Coast, hard to forget even though this year is wet and green. Back then the local beaches here at Mystery Bay were covered with black leaves that took months to be hidden under the sand. Walking the back beaches one day i noticed that there were tracks from a Kangaroo that were black, like a line of black dots running up to the bush, and that the wind had blown and because the tracks were sunk into the sand the b...lack leaves had collected in the holes. Beautiful ephemeral art by nature itself, and i thought to make works using this energy. The wind was nor east so i drew a sunken ring in the sand, then added the black charcoaled leaves and over the afternoon watched as the wind did its thing, blowing over the work, cleaning the surrounding sand but marking the ring... Working with the wind, making ephemeral art from the disastrous summer fires...the charcoal black of the gum trees. Working with nature and place... and time, that is the art that i enjoy, it connects you to your surrounds and the cycles of our environment/nature... See more
21.01.2022 Was down South again last week social distancing and walking the tide line at Twofold Bay, Eden..where the Bundian Way Aboriginal Trail starts. A place of Ochre i return to often when i`m down that way, and this day found a small piece lodged in a stump of Driftwood..over the last 10 years i have collected a wide range of Ochre from Ulladulla down over the border to the Croajingolong Wilderness coast, always from the cliff/tide zone where it is softened by the sea environment.... Ochre is sacred to the Aboriginals and is indeed a special stone/pigment, used in ceremony, initiation and dance. My Ochre collection is stored by each `place` i collect it from, thus keeping its origin intact for when i use it to paint. This is very important, as it is with the art/sculpture i make from nature, and the Driftwood frames i have made..the importance of `place` is why i do this, and the `spirit of place` contained. You only have to walk in a forest or along a windswept beach to know that our South Coast is filled with this...as are we...the spirit of belonging. See more
20.01.2022 Whale bone spine at Greenglades, Womboyn. On my way down to Croajingolong last fortnight and stayed a night at Greenglades to see the fire damage and washed up in the corner was this stunning Whale spine still intact..quite rare to find in one peace, parts nibbled by the `Man in the grey suit`..i wander how long till the sea drags it back into Disaster Bay? Natures cycles never end, this is the beauty that the human race thinks does`nt apply to them..you live, you die, thus t...he beauty of life given.. The fires that swept violently through here in January basically burnt to the ocean and left a blackened landscape behind..everywhere, black soil, charred tree remains and little bird/animal life left. Green is reappearing slowly and the animals will return, but it is a shock to stand there in the present, and you do feel a bit helpless in what feels like a lost environment....Natures cycles and the Whale.. See more
19.01.2022 Coast Wattle root sphere..Durras days, and at North Head beach i found that recent winter storms and rain had un covered the roots of this Wattle plant. And to me this meant rare natural material to make something from..and because i love the simplistic shape of the sphere..our planet..decided that i would try to form one from these roots..attached to the plant. Like most of my work, once i have an idea, and start, it seems to come relatively easy..the nature of the material... guiding the work, and after a short time i had pretty well completed the shape. My original idea was that i wanted to leave it attached to the plant, again, to look like nature had made it, and people would come across it and wander how..but the longer i thought about it, and looked at it, i decided that i could`nt! I had already grown attached to it myself..and since i was staying for a few more days, thought it would be nice to photograph it in other locations. So i cut it off and carried it back to camp, and over the next few days took images of it at sunrise and with the full moon, and then bringing it home where it now sits up on my kitchen cupboard, next to a small Spinnifex sphere.. Bringing the nature of Durras into my home.. See more
19.01.2022 The Burrawang...a classic Australian native that grows throughout the Spotted gum forests of our South Coast. Long palms of fronds spread out and sway in the wind, like fingers in the scattered light... They are strong and hardy to last in their forest environment, but flexible as well...to draw with nature against the sky...organic shapes made on the beach, Dermal, no wind yet, winters calm. A spiral reflecting the sun...windows...forms inspired by the local nature, place and day. And the art will soon fall, returning to the ground, ephemeral, change, just like the day turning to night..
18.01.2022 Ochre and place..both sacred to the Australian Aboriginals. On many journeys down the South Coast i collect the Ochre and store it by the place of its origin, to use for painting or colouring driftwood. As i find it i usually scribe it into my art book, on the tide line, mixed with the sea water, which acts as a type of binder. This way i can see the slight variances between each colour, and also see the colour of place. There is pure Ochre, clays and also coloured stone to be found. Ochre, the true colour of Mother Earth..
17.01.2022 The Spear Grass Tree grows along the South Coast in small pockets and in heath areas like Jervis Bay or Ben Boyd, as well as along the mountain rangers like the Budawangs, where some grow over 2 meters tall. With a curtain/dress of dead grass hanging below the new grass above which frays out like a mop of hair rattling in the wind, and shooting out from the centre is the flower stem, or spear. They are very slow growing so to be 2 meters plus you can only think they must be o...ver 100 years old! They look and feel prehistoric. Often inspired by the long grasses moving in the wind at Meroo, i collected lengths while camping and sat in the shade working the lengths into a sphere, the length of the grass dictating the size of the sphere. From the forest but placed on the tide...the onshore rolling the work into the soft tide. The grass sphere will dry holding its form and becomes a unique permanent sculpture for the home, made from our beautiful South Coast environment. Commissions welcome...contact me on 0488394529 or through f`book message. See more
16.01.2022 Bullkelp sphere made on last winters trip to Cape Conran, along the Croajingolong coast. The Bullkelp grows thick and plentiful along the Victorian coast with widths reaching up to 300 mm`s that end in thinner fingers, beautiful organic flowing shapes deposited along the tide line..my favorite place.I gather the `fresh` Kelp and trim with a blade to required lengths and width, working right there on the tide, in the cove.. i form the Kelp into a small ball/sphere, the Kelp ta...king on the feel of leather as it releases its moisture. Over the next three days i`d collect from the cove and then travel the short distance to the Boatramp and find a sheltered spot out of the freezing wind to weave the lengths and grow the sphere. But as it grew in size, it grew in weight and got to the point where it was to heavy and i was unable to physically handle the sphere..it measured 320 mm diameter and i put it on the front passenger seat for the rest of the trip, rotating it for the next week to keep the shape as it dried. When home at Mystery i hung the sphere in a fishing net and kept rotating it to avoid mold/rot, and now a year later the Bullkelp has completely dried and the sphere shrunk to 250 mm diameter. It has taken on a white patina as any mold that formed has dried, and smells beautifully of the sea..that of the sea of its making..Cape Conran`s Southern sea.. All work for sale, sculptures made from nature..from place..containing the spirit of nature/place within..quality stretched ready to hang canvas or photographic prints as well as Driftwood mirrors. Please contact via messenger or email. See more
16.01.2022 Stone balance..reaching into the sky..the left balance was at `Potholes`, Dolphin Pt. and was made to see how high i could take the stone..normally i dont like to use `packer stones`, rather relying on each stone and the placement of it for the stack/balance, but to get this high i did use a few small stones which was the only way to progress. Standing on the surrounding rock to complete..and you step away to view it standing there..near twitching in, luckily for me, this cal...m windless morning. The `balance` achieved! Most times i am amazed at what can be made, and its all ephemeral, made not to last and for time/weather to bring it down..and you have to leave it, walk away, which is hard to do after the making. I checked it the next day and it had collapsed down leaving about a 3rd of the base stone.. The right balance was made at Little Oaky cove, South Durras..this one made for the incoming tide, to see the two energies meet, the energy of stone v`s the energy of the sea..it lasted about half an hour before toppling over. I missed getting a photo of the collapse as i was`nt looking at the time, just heard the noise and turned to see its demise.. So enjoyable, the ephemeral.. See more
15.01.2022 Mallacoota coast..and an ocean ledge i call the `sleeping stone`. Looking like a human figure lying down in his sea bed..drifting away from the land. Buffeted and covered at times, his sea blanket..today just waking in the pre dawn light.
15.01.2022 To view work for sale/Photography for sale please click `photos` then `albums` to view.
15.01.2022 Fern sphere..this was the first one i made with the Fern sourced from Meroo forest, south of Ulladulla. As with all my work made using nature, and made in location, i feel they do carry the spirit of place. I am connected to these places..my human spirit and that of natures, through spending time within the nature, often being absorbed in my surrounds, through touch, smell, sound and visual beauty..through the act of collecting and making of each work and through the acknowledgement of the reality that all humans are in fact a part of our earthly nature/environment, and not separate. Commissions welcome.
15.01.2022 Greenglades, Womboyn. Rare Whale spine washed up at Greenglades, Disaster Bay. Code L28
15.01.2022 Bark sphere made from bark sourced from the Bloodwoods of the Wairo beach dune forest. As with all my work using nature, you need to work with each different material, get to know its strengths and weakness` and how it can be worked, and what ideas come from that process. Obviously i love the sphere, as it reflects all in nature, the season cycles, day to night, growth, decay, life and death and this beautiful giant sphere we all call our home..Mother Earth. It may seem a si...mple form, but is actually a challenging and very balanced important symbol relative to all..specially in a sculptural form. Time spent within the forest collecting the bark, normally after strong winds rip lengths from trees, and working into strips for the project. I normally start the sphere in the forest, where i am totally absorbed in nature and my surrounds, where the work comes easy and is enjoyable, peaceful even..meditative.. Only spending time and exploring materials, weather, place etc. can you progress with your ideas, and your art. And you cant cheat the natural processes that you work with..its a honest art form i believe. This Bloodwood bark sphere is my own, the first one i made over 10 years ago, and it sits in my living room just as the day it was made. If you can see one in your home, you can commission me to make one for you..they become a feature in any home and are a one of a kind sculpture from our South Coast environment. See more
14.01.2022 Save Ben Boyd Coast..Please google the `Light To Light walk` to find out about the changes our Gov`t and National Parks have planned for this unique coastal environment..locking locals and all others out and privatizing under the banner of `environment/species` the whole 30 k`s of coast, from Ben Boyd`s tower in the North to Greencape in the South. Fly in fly out `tourism`, `eco` glamping! and $$..This same Gov`t/Parks have destroyed the bushland at the turn off into these N...at. Parks but are doing this for the environment/species protection? Not good enough..again. Saltwater will no longer have `car based camping`, Bittangabee Bay and Greencape will still be open as were. From Saltwater north will be blocked. Please read up on this and share with other`s that can help or would be interested. There are many sacred sites to the Aboriginal`s here that should be left untouched. This South Coast environment should stay open and FREE for all Australians to enjoy. See more
14.01.2022 Works from the forest...bark ring around a Bloodwood, a view through a stick dome and a Burrawang frond sphere in frame. Inspired by our beautiful South Coast nature...
12.01.2022 Stone along the Durras tide..sometimes i used to make these simple `stone faces` along the stone tide, made where i thought the over night tide might just touch the face, the sea maybe changing it, re drawing the face, re arranging the stone..all in luck..much like leaving a stone balance for the over night tide..and the next day i`d return to see the re drawn face, or search and try and find the scattered `face` stones. Only once out of 3 or 4 times did it really work, where the water softly moved the stones millimetres. I enjoy making even simple things where nature contributes in the change..the ephemerality..stone face.
12.01.2022 Save Ben Boyd Coast...the Light to Light walk... Sapphire council and our government are locking out locals for city tourism and eco glamping...not good enough. $$ over our environment and Indigenous culture, Australian culture. What`s next, Nadgee Wilderness is about all that`s left, it`s a disgrace. No access to locals at Mowarry and no car based camping at Saltwater, why? These politicians have probably never even been there, they are to busy wasting money with their continues lies and travel/sports rorts, they have NO connection to nature except $$, they are a disgrace. SAVE SOUTH COAST AND AUSTRALIAN CULTURE from these over paid clowns before it`s to late. No $$ can replace our unique coastline and environment.
12.01.2022 Stretched canvas ready to hang for sale.
10.01.2022 Two stone balance, one last winter and one last week. The sunset balance is at Mimosa Rocks or Arragunnu, using the ancient heavy granite. I try to challenge myself when ever i balance stone, its never for fun but more a way of connecting to each place, and the nature of the place, the spirit, which is pretty strong at Arragunnu. The long `pinnacle` granite is quite large and can be hard to get to its balance point, so i was happy to get the three in balance and added two mor...e rounds before leaving it to the night. This one stayed up for two nights and till i left, leaving it behind, still standing tall the quiet stone. The blue day balance was made at a small cliff cove accessed by your trusted local rope ladder at Barraga Bay, which is full of white granite stone. I did use a few `packer` stones with this balance as it tried to topple a few times as it was growing, which was caused by the stones weight. Prints or stretched canvas to order of any images, please contact through F`book messenger or email for size, price, post or any other queries.
08.01.2022 Out at North Head, Twofold Bay and a beautiful but challenging walk through gum and Mellaluca forest brings you to this view..a new place for me never seen along our far South Coast, and thats rare. A beach this far out and even a natural Sandstone arch which you just cant see in this image, its there but faces the sea..i trecked on down but could`nt really get a good image. I could reach the section beyond the beach and a small Driftwood cove beyond, but could`nt get down to the beach/arch..i tried but..bit surprised that i had`nt heard of this arch before..a local secret? And a lovely fruity feed of Oysters i did enjoy. Social distancing i do enjoy! There`s no one anywhere..
07.01.2022 Sand and Stone drawing..this is at Dermal at a spot i have made many ephemeral works over the years, south of Burrill Lake, a place to camp by the sea. The blue sandstone glows here, and i wanted to show the stone by drawing with sand. The shape was made organically, forming as i worked, it changed a couple of times until i was happy..only using my hands and a fragment of shell, working off the surrounding stone so not to disturb the sand. So it looks like it was left by the ...tide. And hopefully the tide would erase the work, but fading light and a change in the weather meant i had to leave so i could`nt photograph this. In the end rain came and washed the stone clean. Hours of work erased, the art dissapearing, the photograph being the only proof of its existence. This i love as it is natures way, ephemeral, non permanent, always changing, forming, eroding. Nature does this everyday, and it is why i work with the tide line a lot, a beautiful energy often unseen. See more
06.01.2022 SAVE BEN BOYD COAST...and Saltwater. Australian and Indigenous culture, surfing culture. $$ tourism, eco glamping, locking locals out and charging for the privilege to use our beautiful coast, not good enough. Leave the South Coast alone. Act now before it`s to late, google the Light to Light walk to see how the Sapphire council and the government are pushing this through. They are a disgrace to what`s left of Australian culture. Ben Boyd coast is to precious to all of us. There`s only so much wilderness left.
06.01.2022 SAVE BEN BOYD COAST..
05.01.2022 On the back beaches of Mystery Bay there is a nice large black flat stone that sits in the tide line that i like to draw on...i had some Ochre with me and collected some Cuttlefish as i walked...the Cuttlefish dry`s pure white and i filled in the shape with yellow from Mystery and a red from Ben Boyd...left for the tide to erase. The colors of Ochre are so rich and each stone seems to take the color differently, some it is vibrant while others are dull or wont hold the Ochre ...at all. Some will hold onto the color for weeks, even after rain (normally the rich red or black). The motion of the ocean will strip the Ochre off most times as it acts like sandpaper because of the sand content and the energy of the swell. It also depends on if i wet the Ochre while drawing or just dry rub it onto the stone. This drawing was erased overnight, which was the idea, ephemerality... See more
05.01.2022 Greenglades at Womboyn, after the summer fires..colorful recovery. Code L29
05.01.2022 Driftwood shelter found in a sunken cove down the coast and quite well made. Crawling in it looked to have two rooms? not sure why, had fire place but looked unused..a beautiful place for a Driftwood life..
04.01.2022 Work from the past...a Pumice sphere at Mystery Bay, a hollow Spinifex sphere on Wairo beach and 1.5 meter diameter solid Kangaroo vine sphere at Tilba... Inspired by our local South Coast environment. Commissions welcome.
04.01.2022 The `Bellbird Ball` or sphere on Mystery Bay beach, being given the once over by the locals..`Did you make this`..is the obvious question asked. These solid `Kangaroo vine` spheres are made from our South Coast environment and can be made to suit your home environment, small or large.. Commissions welcome..
03.01.2022 Spheres...one made by nature and one made by me. The Sea grass ball/sphere made from natures cycles found on the tide line and a white clay ball/sphere with a skin of shell grit made at home in Mystery Bay. The white clay was sourced from a local clay slip with shell grit sourced from Potholes, Dolphin Point.
03.01.2022 Flotsam and Jetsam...beach combing, walking the tide line, looking for rustic ocean treasures thrown ashore by the big blue...flotsam being natural objects and jetsam being man made objects. Feathers are flotsam from above, the free birds gliding the big blue of the sky, riding the invisible wave currents endlessly. So many feathers i have collected over the years, i find it hard to walk past without picking them up, a single feather held in the hand, each one different depe...nding on the bird, color, shape and size. They remind me of a surf blank and shaping a surfboard where both sides are identical for flow, each particle shaped and formed for a reason, to glide on the sea, or to glide the waves of the sky. The sea bird has many all designed for their instinctual free flight, and some are lost to fall to land...this would be quite magic to actually see, the single feather spinning to earth! These works imitate these birds in a small way...it would be nice if they could fly! One a line or wing with Driftwood bone, another a circle with Pumice stone centre and the other made from Pelican feathers plucked from a recent dead bird i came across at Moruya rivermouth with a Driftwood centre. How nice it is to watch the free birds glide... See more
02.01.2022 Mallacoota coast and sea cave..a timeless landscape.
02.01.2022 Driftwood mirrors for sale...as well as making sculpture/ephemeral art using nature i have been a professional picture framer for the last 20 years and can supply mirrors made from Driftwood to suit any home. Small or large. I have the mirrors pictured for sale at the moment, these are one of a kind and will be a feature in any home. Prices and sizes for these mirrors are on the `works for sale` page which you can access by clicking on the `more` sign at the top of this page, and then click on `photos`. Message me to talk about sizes and timbers etc. or give me a call. Driftwood...the most unique timber in the world, made by nature. It cannot be made/duplicated by man, not even by the computer...
02.01.2022 Cuttlefish..another material i often use from the tide line, a bright white with layered grain, nice to shape once the hard shell is taken off, and also good to draw with. Here i have shaped rings and colored with the local Ochre, and a piece fitted with a round pebble/stone. Also at home in the workshop made abstract holes to dried pieces and photographed at Mystery Bay..the ephemerality of nature and art. These small works also inspired by `place`..
