By Shelby Brooks
Art lovers have a unique opportunity to see the creative process behind a sculpture’s imaginative designs as part of the What’s On Cardinia Festival.
Hobby sculptor Wayne Ryan demonstrated hebel stone carving at the Cardinia Cultural Centre on Wednesday 23 February as part of the What’s On Cardinia Showcase.
The showcase is a multi-disciplinary exhibition at Cardinia Cultural Centre with works by the wonderful local creatives involved in the What’s On Cardinia Festival.
Visitors can expect to see a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, projection, print, flower arranging, mosaic, watercolour, photography, resin art and drawing.
Wayne is primarily a hobby metal artist, but also enjoys working in other mediums such as limestone and hebel stone carving, as well as glass and woodworking.
This is the first time he has exhibited and demonstrated to the public.
He began his artistic journey many years ago after suffering a loss of his brother.
“I was at a bit of a loss. I needed something to clear my head,“ he said.
“I felt like I was getting under everybody’s feet being sad all the time. I needed something just to do on my own just to get my mind away from the tragedy.”
His ’learn as you go’ approach quickly flourished into a passion that consumed most of his spare time.
Wayne said he is often asked where he gets his ideas from, but there was no easy answer. Wayne rarely approaches a design with a plan – he likes to sit down and let it develop naturally.
“I rarely draw stuff because if I had to sit down and design something, I probably couldn’t do it,“ he said.
“When it’s abstract, I have the freedom to change it to how I like.“
Wayne shared his artistic process with onlookers at the Cultural Centre, explaining how he uses whatever tools he has on hand to create his unique designs.
The What’s On Cardinia Showcase is free to enter until Sunday 20 March every day from 10am to 3pm (excluding Mondays).
