Perth, Western Australia

Peter has been working as a professional sculptor since 2006 when he completed a degree in Fine arts at Curtin University at the age of 48 as a mature aged student. Peter commenced an Honours program in sculpture in 2007 but left academia to pursue his passion as a practicing artist, preferring the creative atmosphere of his workshop in preference to an institution.

Perhaps it was the 25 years working with his hands as a plumber that drew Peter towards sculpture or maybe it started as a boy watching, entranced as his father, Guglielmo-also known as Bill to his friends, magically worked metal with a hammer, fire and anvil in the back garage on the rare occasions when Bill’s chisels needed re-sharpening.                                                                                                                            

Peter’s father had acquired his blacksmithing skills as part of his own apprenticeship as an idraulico or plumber as a boy back in Italy in the 1920’s.

But Peter likes to think there is another possible reason why he became a sculptor, it’s through his Italian heritage. Peter’s family originates from Sondalo a small town located up in the northern Italian Alps near the border to Switzerland. Sondalo is also only 30 Kilometres away from the Swiss town of Borgononvo, the birth place of the sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Perhaps there’s something in the alpine water?

NEW SERIES FOR SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY
COUNTDOWN TO GLENROWAN

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Hammering metal on my anvil conjures up images of the Kelly gang making armour on a bush forge.

The kinetic effect of the pendulous heads reminds us of the gang riding into Glenrowan with their bodies rhythmically swaying as their horses manoeuvred the difficult terrain. On the fateful day, the gang was bedecked in metal held together with crude rivets. The deconstructed figures evoke notions of Sidney Nolan’s series of Ned Kelly paintings. There are only three figures in this sculpture as Joseph Byrne is already dead.

This is my homage to the mythology of the Kelly gang and the art of blacksmithing.