Cabarlah artist puts treasures from the dump on display

USQ Artsworx Production Manager, Andrew MacDonald, will exhibit a new body of sculptural artworks at the Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery from 28 June to 31 July.

Mr MacDonald is a local artist and designer, and his latest offering entitled Bedtime for the, will showcase his unique use of recycled materials and found objects, with a sprinkling of privet timber.

Recognised as a weed, Mr MacDonald said he has been using privet for sculptures and furniture for many years, finding it a valuable material for his work.

'I enjoy working with privet; it is quite a robust timber, in long straight lengths, and has a trident branching structure which I utilise,' Mr MacDonald said.

'I use a traditional technique using a shaving horse with a drawknife and spoke shave to peel the bark off the timber, leaving a stark white colour, almost like bones.

'It’s a very meditative way of working.'

Mr MacDonald has produced several public art commissions including the iconic Cloud Trees on Margaret Street in Toowoomba and a series of collaborative creations with fellow artist, Sarah Rayner, at the Subtropical Boulevard in Brisbane’s West End.

Also included in his latest offering Bedtime for the Bricoleur will be some older, previously exhibited works which fit in with the new pieces and show a continuity of vision.

'I don’t know a term in English that better describes what I do; it means more than a handyman, someone who puts things together by making creative and resourceful use of whatever materials are at hand, regardless of their original purpose.

The ‘bedtime’ portion of the title simply refers to the elements of dreamscape and whimsy present in many of the works.

'I like to think of the exhibition as a gathering of works which inhabit the dark recesses of my shed; a dreamscape of possibilities and potential.

'My collection of wood, old piano parts and other dump treasures rub shoulders, chatter amongst themselves, jostling for attention - those noisier ones, the things that insist on consideration, are combined, through dream and deliberation, to be grafted together.'

The seeming opposition between the logical, technical side and the whimsical creative nature of art-making is not a big concern to Mr MacDonald.

'I trained as an aircraft technician on jet engines in the RAAF and later worked in mines and road building as a diesel fitter, before opting for furniture making.

'Even when I was involved in trouble shooting and mechanical work, I was drawing, daydreaming and creating; it all becomes involved in the process.

'The hand skills I learned along the way are invaluable and allow me to push that technical aspect aside while I create.'

Bedtime for the Bricoleur will be officially opened on Saturday 2 July at 2pm at the Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery on New England Highway, Crows Nest, by David Usher.

Contact Details:
Connie-Louise Rego, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2977