The Road to Woolooma Glass House.
Excited by the creative project, I jumped online to view other stone sinks, fast realising that Sandstone wasn’t the chosen rock that all the mass-produced sinks were made from. This just added to the excitement, the natural beauty through the bands and colours you can inject into a space with just a hint of sandstone is so cool! and a sink being a perfect feature piece, I opted for a bit of colour!
Sourcing the right piece for a commission can be tricky! Finding something around 400mm wide with enough depth to sculpt the opening for the sink and then held colours throughout was fun! At first thinking I was going to go down the browns but when I stumbled across this piece with such variety of reds, I convinced myself that this was the right decision! Heading back to the studio, over the next three days I worked this piece of stone, with the typical creators doubt creeping in every now and then “will this work? Have I chosen the right colour, is the shape right, will I be able to free hand the opening for the plumbing….” There was a sense of “ I knew I could do this, but in the same way, shocked myself with the quality I was able to produce.” I was really proud of this sink which was going to feature in probably my favourite space I’ve ever visited. Returning home after completing the sculpture Zoe asked “can you show me a photo please” which I replied “I actually can’t I’ve only shot it on film through my little point and shoot, you’ll have to wait and see it in person”, which is another point of view where I’ve come to with my practise which I’ll touch on further in the very close future.
A beautiful January morning Zoe and I loaded up the 4x4, swag back on the roof, battery esky with fresh supplies from the farmers market in the boot, a bag of clothes each, a book or two, chessboard, stove top and the sink. We hit the road at 4am to head North West only to run into a full blown 40-degree day, past the point of any coastal breeze we arrive at the river an hour away from Woolooma. Think dry… think, go for a swim and by the time you get back to the swag you need to do a U’y and walk back through the mud to then float in the water alongside the many turtles hanging about. But we loved it. Acclimatizing is imbedded deep within us, the appreciation for the water on your skin at 9pm whilst bathing under the stars! The feeling of the southerly breeze that cooled the air about 10pm was such a blissful time, immense but calming, one of those moments you can’t not be all but present for. A solid night sleep was now on the cards.
Arriving at Woolooma we are met by Phoebe at the old Wool Shed in the 4x4 buggy which will climb 4,500ft above sea level along a trail which shows plenty of faces, but beautiful they are! Rolling hills, a pond lined with cattle, into dense rocky terrain, through butterfly valley, winding around deep forest and then arriving at The Glass House. Stepping out the buggy you instantly feel just how special this place is! Hard to put into words, but 12 months ago when I arrived there for the first time, I broke down in tears in appreciation, being able to visit places like this is such a gift!
We unload and the sink is moved into position, a little nervous for sure, questioning thoughts were still creeping in on the drive there, but when Phoebe expressed excitement and for my eyes being able to see it in place, a sense of joy hit me, that little smirk you make when hard work pays off.
Zoe and I now had 72 hours in our own little realm. Clothes very optional, meals looking down over the valley from 4,500ft, sunsets where colours and clouds are hard to even imagine, time is no longer a thing, forest walks that don’t end, just put your dream playlist on, settle in and honestly just BE. There was one morning were getting out of bed just wasn’t on the cards for a while as the clouds smothered the mountain. Wrapped in the doona, bed as comfy as it gets, all we could see was, cloud. We opened the window and you could see it seep through into the room… it was bliss, the whole experience was bliss!
Thank you to The Lands, The traditional Custodians of the Lands and The Mother for having me along this journey.
