By Marcus Uhe
Cranbourne artist Wayne Ryan turned to sculpting and recreational metalwork in a time of darkness.
Following the loss of his younger brother David, Mr Ryan needed something to take his mind off the situation and escape reality.
A metalworker by trade having started as an apprentice working with sheet metals, it’s grown to be much more than a simple distraction.
“It’s something I never thought I would be interested in,” Mr Ryan recalled.
“I was moping around the whole time (after David’s death).
“It was an unfortunate situation but something good came out of it.”
The resourceful Mr Ryan makes the most of recyclable materials such as pieces of scrap metal and old car parts for his creations, which benefits the environment and keeps the costs down.
Among his creations, he has taken old skateboards and replaced the wheels with light globes to make light-fittings.
Finding treasure in materials where others may see trash adds to the spontaneity and freewheeling spirit of the pastime.
“I find the fun is in scrounging bits and pieces and making stuff out of other things.
“I don’t have a style or theories that I could be tied-down to. It’s more about what comes to mind and what’s available.
“I have no training; what I come up with is based on materials and thoughts.
“There’s no plan, I just do what comes to mind.”
The decision of when to stop work on a piece can be the hardest part of the creative journey.
Mr Ryan said that he has learnt to not aspire for perfection as it would ruin his style.
He also believes it helps to draw a distinction between his professional world and his pastime.
“What I do at work has to be at a really high standard, and costs money.
“Doing own stuff, it doesn’t matter if it’s a little bit crooked; it adds natural touch.
“It helps to establish a cut-off point between manufacturing and reality.”
Mr Ryan recently had his artwork displayed at the What’s On Cardinia Showcase, the first time he has had his pieces displayed in an exhibit, and was asked to demonstrate his sculpting skills while providing commentary to onlookers on his creative process.
While sculpting is not his number one art style, his favourite piece is a padlock he made out of stone, seven times the size of a standard lock, which takes pride of place in the kitchen family room of his home.
While he doesn’t have an end-goal for his work, Mr Ryan doesn’t plan on putting down the tools any time soon.
“It’s one of those things where you look back and think, ‘Why didn’t I do this 20 years ago?
“The interest will always be there. As long as I’m still capable, health-wise, I’ll keep doing it.”
The What’s On Cardinia Showcase is free to enter at the Cardinia Cultural Centre until Sunday 20 March every day from 10am to 3pm, excluding Mondays.
