Art Love Life

This automaton is a working poker machine - the wheel spins and the magpie swallows your coins while the great Aussie icon Ned Kelly looks on silently with his smug little duck, quacking out a rationale while the bitch goddess of success howls below. But unfortunately the pictures on the wheel never line up for the player. Its made of huon pine, oak, steel and scrap bronze, motors and aluminium cylinder are parts of an old duplicating machine. There is a Jayco timer that turns it off and on when a coin is proferred, but most of the electronics on the circuit board are purely there for a lovely backlight.

Beetle occasional table

These long horned beetles are the adult phase of all or some of the wichiti grubs that are 'bush tucker' . The sculpture is made of iron bent over an armature and welded with a MIG. The wings are salvaged red myrtle.

The Martyrdom of St. Catherine

Have embarked on yet another artistic channel - intaglio and this is my first effort (it has been a long and difficult procedure getting it right. It still isn't but the plate is almost worn out before I even get an edition out of it. This is after a stone carving I saw at the entrance of the Thanh Cathedral in Alsace. St.Catherine was to be broken on the wheel, but it was miraculously destroyed so they boiled her alive instead.

The Noble Eightfold Path

Fluoros in the oak box illuminate a glass mandala that morphs into the bars of a cage. Within a rat is trying to nut out which of several optional bars he can press to take the cookie.