"Kangaroo Paw"

Michael has just completed his first original sculpture in almost a decade. Professionally and emotionally, this has been a huge step for him. Part of the dream that he put on hold for so long. A passion that he couldn't have buried, even if he'd tried. And I am so proud to have been part of this episode with him.

The result is "Kangaroo Paw". Like all Michael's sculptures, it has a simplicity of form and weaves a story from the past.  This art piece recalls the metal horse harness fittings, which came in a multitude of styles and sizes. Until well after the turn of the twentieth century, the horse or horse and buggy or horse and wagon were popular modes of transportation in the Wheatbelt.

Marjorie, a delightful single lady living out on the Dale, had found the pieces and fallen in love with them. She provided the raw materials and the inspiration.  "Kangaroo Paw'' was a long time in the making. Renovations and trips to hospital kept getting in the way. Then the fungal lesions on Michael's foot made standing painful. Eventually, with the right treatment, the affected areas on his foot began receding and he was ready for creativity.

Michael constructed "Kangaroo Paw" simultaneously with the new batch of redback spiders. This turned out to be a most satisfactory system. If he lost focus with one of them, he'd work on the other. Initially, he suffered a crisis of confidence, doubting his ability.Then he was concerned he would not remember the production steps. He spent one particularly disturbed night tossing and turning, fretting that "Kangaroo Paw" wouldn't be as he'd envisaged.

Last Thursday, we brought the sculpture into the East End Gallery. Our visitors' enthusiasm and admiration for it began as soon as we set it up on display. And the biggest thrill came this weekend with one of our guests drawing in her breath and saying "It's a kangaroo paw, isn't it?".

It surely is.

the metal sculptor and his art piece named...

"Kangaroo Paw".