Tony Mellen

0417349519

tony.mellen@gmail.com

I am intrinsically linked to the earth. Over more than 30 years I have lived and worked in indigenous and developing cultures around the world, ranging from Asia to the Pacific to remote Australia, and the one simple linkage that I always find reinforced and strengthened by my work, is a holistic connection to what can be simplistically defined as “nature”.
For over 30 years I have lived in Nillumbik. The bush around my home is much more than where I go to relax; it is where I go to regenerate and to find once more, amid the collision and confusion that is modern culture, my connection to self and to a greater whole; a connection to the earth.
Most of the materials I use I source from within the Shire, and the focal medium is usually wood. My aim, with any piece, is not to adapt but rather to reveal; to release rather than invent, the forms, themes and messages inherent within the material with which I am working. I strongly believe that by bringing to life what would otherwise be forest, seaside or roadside debris, I can encourage those who view my work, to see; as I see; the beauty and the magnificence within the mundane. To appreciate the natural environment in a much more “thinking” manner, and ideally, find the passion to preserve that environment.
I often use rock and stone to support and frame my work, as the metaphor for the solidity and reassurance of that which will remain; whilst the wood is often the element of transience. The wood is the emotion whilst the rock is the face upon which it resides. Each piece speaks to me, and my desire is simply to bring that voice to life.

185 Buttermans Track
St Andrews, 3761

 

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