Gone South Studio in Foster, Victoria | Art gallery

Gone South Studio

Locality: Foster, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 5687 1188

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23.01.2022 So close! I had to put him aside for a few weeks. He will finally be finished tomorrow morning. I'm very happy with him. He has a lovely feeling to him, I think... He and the puppy will be on display at the Maker's Market in Fish Creek this Sunday, along with some new wire works of mine. I'm really looking forward to seeing all those talented people and their things, all in one room!!... Details here: www.promcoastseachangefestival.org

22.01.2022 Finally finished some of my plates, has been awhile as we have been busy fitting out our studio.

22.01.2022 A sneak peak of my two pieces for the Measurements Show at Gecko Gallery, Fish Creek, (opening 2pm this Sunday 21/05/17 - should be amazing!). The first is called "Big Shoes to Fill" and the second is called "High Hopes" and incorporates some 'old' Converse All Stars! Hope to see you there!

19.01.2022 There is a fantastic new gallery space in Tarwin Lower called Thirsty Work - check it out!

17.01.2022 I finished up starting the wire puppy again. It is to be posted to Germany and I felt that the smaller gauge wire may not stand up to this, so have built the puppy with bigger gauge wire. This makes it tricky, as you have to begin roughing out the figure about twice the size that it needs to be. As it is shaped and twisted and tightened up, it shrinks. -It's going well; I'm very pleased with the stance. It is maybe my favourite puppy. I'd kind of forgotten how tough it could be - the head is very difficult to get just right, (the nose is still too long) and the feet are very time-consuming. It's just a matter of finishing him now, but I'm thinking of setting him aside this morning and beginning the larger dog today while my energy levels are still up.

17.01.2022 Hogz, The Magical Mechanical Pig. He is a good friend of Urchin and Gizmo. Hogz feeds on detritus, which he sucks up with his special sucker. His favourite food is rusty nuts, bolts and screws, but he eats just about anything. The magical part is that he can regurgitate any specific thing that you may have lost. If asked nicely, he will produce the item in the little tub at the end of his tail. As long as it is within six months of him sucking it up, because this is how long it takes to digest. In this photo he is sucking up some fallen screws which his good friend, Urchin, has dropped. - Grant. He is for sale from our website.

17.01.2022 Gr(egg). This little character is part if my on-going PIECE CORPS series, characters made from up-cycled parts (and an Istrich egg, in this case). He forms part of the show at Gecko Gallery. This guy I imagined as someone who crams a lot into a day. He tries to help the other PIECECORPS characters any way he can and has trouble saying no. He loves life but occasionally becomes a little unravelled... It's a balancing act! See our website for the PIECECORPS collection.

15.01.2022 I created this little scene on Corner Inlet using Cuttle fish and the beautiful little sea urchin husks we find washed up on the shore here. To me it looks like a family or group of friends. Maybe they are waiting for somebody, maybe they are just enjoying the view and listening to the lapping of the waves... I put these figures near the water line. They are now washed away with the rising tide, so it it also a little comment on climate change and the dangers of inaction.

12.01.2022 Some progress pictures of the puppy. I have now roughed in the body and legs. I will do a lot more tweaking while I can still get my hand or pliers down through the neck. Next comes the head..and the ears, and the tail. There is still a lot of work to do on all of it.. Once the head is on I will really start obsessing over it. I'm off on the bike for for five days camping, though! To be continued..

10.01.2022 Today I finally start wire sculpture again. I am starting work on a commission for two wire dogs, similar to a piece I completed about three years ago, of a small puppy looking up toward a larger dog. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm hoping I haven't forgotten how to do it! I'll be posting some photos of the works in progress here, as people often ask me how I make the wire sculptures. Over the last 12 months most of my creative energy has gone into creating our gorge...ous little get-away, Winchester Rise, in Foster. I really enjoyed most of the renovation and building work. As a boy, all I wanted to be was a carpenter. I find I really enjoy building, and most of my artwork involves some sort of construction or other. It was very satisfying to create "something out of nothing" which is how I see my wire work, and how this project felt. Other similarities included getting to a point where you are kind of hating it and just wanting it to be over, pushing through, and then finding the love for it again. The finished product is always a little surprising; a feeling of "wow.. I did that". This project was of course a collaboration with Helen, whom I have worked with before on artworks and exhibitions; just nothing on this scale! It has confirmed that we do work really well together, and I look forward to future projects with her! Here are some before and after photos of Winchester Rise. See more photos at https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/15707293

09.01.2022 How is a dog created? You start with a roll of chicken wire, some pliers, some snips, and you start...

08.01.2022 I took over the window of the Mitre 10 Hardware in Foster. The scene I created is of a workshop where Urchin (The Fixer), Hogz (The Magical Mechanical Pig) and Gizmo (the Wanderer) are hangin out. Urchin is repairing a model sailing boat, Hogz in sucking up some screws that Urchin has dropped, and Gizmo is providing companionship and conversation. Here are some more photos of Urchin. She is called The Fixer by her friends because she can fix almost anything. Grant. You can read more about her and the other pieces at our website.

08.01.2022 I am finally posting some photos of the finished dogs. They have arrived in Forchtenberg, Germany safely, much to my relief.

08.01.2022 I made good progress on the larger dog today. It is a very different thing making a larger dog out of the same wire - quite unweidly and lacking any strength until the whole thing is tied together. This dog will be looking down at the puppy. I really want their noses to be almost touching. It will be different from the one it is based on in that the shoulders will be much higher and the head lower.

07.01.2022 Amazing day at the Cranbourne Australia Gardens, so much to see so worth a visit.

05.01.2022 Dear friends, I have not posted anything on to this Gone South page for ages. my latest artistic project, now installed at Lucinda Estate As part of the a Sculpture In The Vinyard Show for 2015, has been a long time in the making. About eighteen months ago I saw an old farm windmill near here on which the fan was too big for the frame and which was dropping toward the ground. To me, it looked like the windmill was looking at something near it's base. It got me thinking about ...these old icons of the Australian landscape. A number of ideas started taking shape in my mind, including trying to replicate this image, with the old farm windmill looking down at a small child holding a little fairground windmill. A simple-enough idea, but one which has taken considerable planning, problem solving, trailer-building, deconstruction, re-construction, refurbishment and logistics. The results can be seen in the images here. Check it out in the real world at Lucinda Estate! I've also penned a story based around the question: "What if these old machines were actually alive?" A link will be uploaded to this story shortly. See more

04.01.2022 Coming soon! My new range of hand painted plates featuring native birds. They are painted with special porcelin paint and have been fired in the oven so they are washable. Each one is a one-off original signed by me. - Helen. Coming soon to www.gonesouthstudio.com

02.01.2022 Hi all. This is an invite to come along and see some really great sculptures in the beautiful surrounds of the Lucinda Estate Winery in Leongatha. It's in until the end of January. This event showcases thesome of the best sculptors in South Gippsland. Oh, and the wine and cider is really good, too..

02.01.2022 Ibis having breakfast.

01.01.2022 Gizmo (The wanderer). He is keeping Urchin company in her workshop. Gizmo is a gentle, wandering soul. He wanders from place to place, seeing the world and all that is in it. He offers to carry things in his special carrier. Here he is carrying a wounded bird, just while it heals. So they are seeing the world together. - Grant. This one-off piece is for sale from our website.