Cooler Times.

As the long, hot summer begins to cool, Ceramic Break Sculpture Park is again open to all. During our quiet time, thanks go to Nerida and Kylie for keeping the Park watered, mowed and clean. Kerry’s bronzes attract the birds, they love to leave multiple messages and cleaning them is a never ending activity.

It is not only Mad Dogs and Englishmen who go out in the midday sun, many intrepid visitors called our Artist in Residence, Margie Makim who paused her own Art work to enthusiastically open the Park and welcome those who made an appointment for a tour. Margie’s show will be our first exhibition in April.

And Kerry continues with the impala. This very tall antelope will be hollow, permitting a view of her inner parts that Kerry has been sculpting, heart, liver, kidneys, bladder and gall bladder to name some of them. It is incredible that we mammals can fit so many organs into such a compact space.

More anon..

Africa, Cradle of Mankind

Kerry’s latest work looks at Africa, a continent he has long been fascinated by; the people, the Art, the flora and fauna.

Impalas are beautiful creatures of the savannah. They can run fast and leap high, up to 3 times as high as they are tall.

Kerry is sculpting a graceful impala. At an impressive 2 metres  tall and covered in African symbols, written and pictorial, Kerry reminds us that Africa is the cradle of mankind.

Initially sculpting in clay, Kerry created an exquisite frieze depicting impalas drinking. He has also painstakingly drawn symbols and writing that along with the frieze will be cast in bronze and cover the impala.

This is a challenging piece to create by hand.

Serendipidy or synchronisity?

Serendipity or synchronicity??  Kerry Cannon has done it again, tapping into the ether to predict a significant event, this time in the hallowed traditions of racing.

Our life sized girl jockey was installed at the Park just a few weeks before Michelle Payne won the Melbourne Cup; the first female jockey to win such a prestigious event.

 ‘Most Improved’ is the title of our girl and her feelings about her trophy are shown with a discreet puff of wind at her rear..

Always polite but not as discreet, Michelle let go at the racing fraternity about the difficulties faced by excellent female jockeys to gain a chance to ride in the top races. She accused racing of being “a chauvinistic sport.”

‘Best Improved’ is a topical comment on our times by the master of astute commentary, Kerry Cannon.

Here at Ceramic Break we have many birds visiting as it is the time of year for the birds and the bees to do their thing. Kerry enjoys watching the little tweeties fly around, finding material to build their nests, generally working their little feathery butts off and sometimes spending too much time flying into the studio hoping the ideal nest site is there.

Kerry's next bronze is a cat. To be precise, it is a cat being stretched out to show its body to the judges in a cat show. The owner is laughing but a laugh uses the same muscles as a grimace and sometimes is is difficult to tell the difference.

New Beginnings from Bundjalung- Brian Irving.

The Art opening here at Ceramic Break on the long weekend was a corker. The sun shone, the artists glowed and everyone had a rip snorting time. Our Member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall, officially opened the proceedings saying that he has been following Brian's work for a long time and likes the way it is evolving. We were lucky to welcome back, Fabio Tolli from Armidale. His music was both fabulous to listen to and even attracted some of the audience onto the dance floor of grass, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Huesos

Now the fuss and palaver of Christmas and New Year is over Kerry is hard at work in the studio on the final composition in the series ‘Polar Bear’.

It is a highly complex narrative, set in a seal resort, somewhere in Mexico.

There are seals sunning, body surfing and just hanging out as all leisure seekers do. A sombrero wearing polar bear wanders the resort carrying souvenirs in a huge basket. There is a touch of violence with polar bear guards attacking a polar bear that is trying to eat a seal and there are whale and human bones in abundance.

Symbolism, metaphors, social comment and good old Kerry imagination abounds.

The composition is called ‘Huesos’ in Spanish (bones in English) and will be finished soon.

The final weeks of 2014.

Kerry has been busy travelling, exhibiting, going to openings, hosting openings, Park maintenance and having fun. 

 
In late September he was in a group show in London.  The Gagliardi Gallery in Kings Road, Chelsea is a great venue and the Gagliardis know how to have an opening; lots of fabulous food and wine, great people and of course, marvellous Art..

 Before leaving for London Kerry had 2 small sculptures enlarged using 3d printing. This was Kerry’s first use of the process and when he returned from overseas he discovered there was a lot of work still to be done to retrieve the finer details of the pieces before they are cast. Sanding styrofoam is not a pleasant activity.

 

 

 The ‘Quirky Festival’ was held at Ceramic Break on Saturday 11^th October and it coincided with our last opening of the year. The Festival was organized by the Gwydir Shire’s amazing Georgia Standerwick and her terrific team and it was a fabulous week of creative workshops for all ages and interests run by local artists.  At Ceramic Break we were lucky to have the vocal talent of Fabio from Armidale who was a great hit.  Kerry really enjoyed the day.

 

 Since then Kerry has been on the road delivering bronzes to two separate shows in NSW, one at Mudgee and the other in the Hunter Valley. When these are sorted he will return to the studio.