THIS WEEK’S featured artist is Murwillumbah master sculpture Dierdre Wybrew who caught up with The Weekly about her extraordinary art journey and participation in the Murwillumbah Art Trail 2018 (MAT18).
Dierdre started her artistic career later in life mainly due to having a grandfather who was the art editor of papers and magazines in the 1930s and a mother whose art was so good her works were entered in the Archibald Prize.
“I thought that I could never live up to them, so I didn’t even try,” she said.
“Later in life when I moved from Sydney to the Far North Coast in 1989, I met up with a long-lost friend who was interested in doing pottery at TAFE just for fun, so we enrolled together.
“We both enjoyed it so much after the original three-year course we were encouraged to do the diploma which was a two-year course and nine years later, after completing an advanced diploma we decided it was time to move onto something new.”
Dierdre’s friend moved onto printmaking and Dierdre enrolled in a two year full-time course in glass at Murwillumbah TAFE, which she said was “absolutely fascinating”.
“We learnt how to sculpt, paint, fuse, sandblast and engrave, it was an amazing journey that led to an exhibition at Murwillumbah Art Gallery,” she said.
“We loved it so much we wanted to pursue it. One of the women had a double garage that already had a kiln which was perfect.
“Four of us set up our own studio working together and exhibiting for quite a few years.
“It is hard work, enjoyable when everything went well, then cheap imports arrived making it nearly impossible to compete so we decided to change direction.”
After discussing the possibilities, Dierdre said the group decided sculpture might be the way to go.
“As it happened, one of our friends knew of a teacher out at Byrrill Creek who, word had it, was extremely talented,” she said.
“Because there were four of us she started a special class just for us and as we became more efficient we joined the others.
“It was a challenge, so different from what we had been doing but we all fell in love with it.
“What was wonderful, was she helped us let go of having to control everything.
“I would draw a line and let it take me on a journey never knowing what the final result might be, just let the rock talk to me, it was always challenging yet exciting at the same time.
“She was a wonderful, patient teacher and four years later she became unwell causing her to retire from teaching. What a blow.”
Dierdre had reached the point where they didn’t need instruction just a venue to continue their work.
“One of the men decided that he would turn his garage into a studio if we would all like to continue on sculpting, so the four of us women who started the journey said “yes please” along with two men,” she said.
“Four years on we have created works in soapstone, limestone and sandstone.
“We have sculptures from as small as 20cm to two meters and our works are creative and unique.”
Dierdre said she loves working mainly with limestone which she said is millions of years old having been once a sea bed.
“I will be sculpting and come across remnants of shells, which can be quite challenging if you are sculpting a face, working on an eye and there is a lump of shell where you want the eye to be, but that is part of the thrill of working with ancient materials,” she said.
“Our workshop is on Farrants Hill hence our name Farrants Hill Collective.
“Anyone interested in joining us is more than welcome.
“I see many areas of the Arts that are similar; glass-ceramics, dance, poetry, art and music, each travelling in different directions yet each is concerned with balance, line, rhythm and harmony.
“Each piece marks the start of another cycle of never ending possibilities.”
For more information and to start discovering your inner sculptor email: wyteddee@gmail.com