MURWILLUMBAH ARTIST and sculptor Jack Quilter (pictured) has been hard at work developing his latest exhibition at the old Bottle Factory on Holstons Lane for Saturday, December 10.
The Weekly recently caught up with Jack to get a greater insight of what inspires him about the Tweed and to check out his latest sculptures.
In 2005, Jack won the Swell Sculpture public art award in Currumbin QLD and now has two public art works at both Kirra beach and Paradise Point on the Gold Coast.
With the money earned from these large public sculptures, Jack was able to purchase his dream studio in 2007 on Holstons Lane.
“My current works on display at the bottle factory are bird baths, garden sculptures, candelabras and most recently small figurative and animal studies,” he said.
“I think what most attracts and inspires me about the Tweed Shire is the incredible diversity and combination of high mountains, subtropical rain forests and of course the spectacular coastline.
“I have been an avid bush walker and I am particularly fond of bird watching.
“I have also been scuba diving for more than 20 years and have found the ocean an abundant source of visual stimulation.”
Jack switched his focus to metal work sculptor using found objects to form assemblages.
“I fossick, collect and acquire old farm iron such as plow disks, cane cutter blades and other assorted tools,” he said.
“Living in the Tweed we have an abundance of scrap metals left over from a rich heritage of cedar logging and sugar cane harvesting, much of my work reflects the experience and connection to the landscape, using man made tools that have literally carved the earth around us.
“I’ve been steadily restoring the former bottle factory built in the 1930s. I really needed a practical place to work and found Murwillumbah the ideal location to set up my practice.
“I really enjoy working in a space that has so much connection to the town and history.
“This Saturday I will open the doors to the public for the second time this year for an exhibition of old and new works on sale, with a few pieces to be auctioned in the evening.”
To find out more, visit Jack’s studio and exhibition at 14 Holstons Lane from 9.30am until late on Saturday, December 10.
