News and information regarding Hammer & Hand Bangalow.

Cuttlefish Cast Brooch “Many before me have been called by the sea” (Tom Waits, Shiver me Timbers)

Sterling silver, Steel chain, Bronze ‘pirate heart’.

The Acetylene Regulator I have been waiting for has arrived , so I can continue with the “Catch Dinosaur at Four” piece but meanwhile.. Some Cuttlefish casting got done …. a Pirate Heart and an as yet unfinished Anchor .. both in Sterling.

BirdmanFree 1

I have made a couple of ‘Dreamer’ guys .. ‘BirdmanFree 1 and 2?   …  They have opened their cages and freed themselves..Was it Mick Jagger who asked? “Once you have your freedom , what do you do with it ?” .. Maybe put down the cage… ?

There are a couple of ‘Young Girls’ here aswell … something to do with innocence and lack of affectation .

BirdmanFree 2

Little Girl with Butterfly

Moondog’s Tin Guitar “Eifel”

Hammer and Hand Byron has a new “Guest Spot” (The Plinth) to enable us to feature works that we feel are special to us .. Here are the first .. Moondog’s ‘Tyn Guitar’ called “Eifel”, A drawing that Artist Christine Willcocks made for the “loving Spoonfull” exhibition and Harrison Neki’s Sculpture ” Never Give Up !” (cast in resin). Come in and have a look !

‘Eifel’

“Eifel”

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Christine Willcocks “Loving Spoonful”

Harrison Neki  Sculpture

The Guest spot

Mergatroid-Boid was spotted yesterday behaving in an ‘explicitly’ Girlish way with Nervous-Nelson … I was assured by Max that Mergatroid is definitely a girl !! So .. if there remained any ember of a doubt as to her sexuality .. It has been quenched.

Also ! Carl Quirk, fish-skin tanner from Hobart paid us a visit at the workshop !

Meanwhile .. while I await the arrival of my new Acetylene Regulator I have begun some ‘self liberating bird men” and completed a couple more  ‘girls in shoes with butterflies’…

And !!… drum roll ..’rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat… Today is the first day of the ‘Illuminated Flashing OPEN sign’ !!

So come on in .. ..what else is there to do in Byron Bay anyway ? Jen Banks is at the bench today .. Have a look at her new pieces !

A bit more progress but I need to use Acetylene I realize  .. and now I’m waiting for a new regulator to arrive ….

Well this Fallow year started with the Hammer&Hand Van doing a bit of  ‘Mercury Retrograding’ (??) in the very wet morning , requiring moisture dispellent and copious amounts of paper towel to get it going … I maintained a Sunny Outlook and Calm Demeanour  and drove (spluttered!) it to the auto electrician to replace a cracked starter coil I had previously Araldited ..(aka Jewellers cement)  Then….  Play Time !!.. This may be a Dinosaur Critter with a Ukulele Playing Behatted Rider ..as in the ‘Ten Bulls’ .. ‘Catch Horned Veloceraptor at Four’ !  …  Images are   ‘play in progress’  Fused mild steel.

A few years ago I decided that I would introduce the Fallow Year concept into my life ..

The Biblical Fallow year being the idea of rotating your fields on a Seven Year Cycle … Every seventh year a field is rested and not worked or ploughed ..leaving the weeds,herbs and grasses to flower and seed …

For myself and my Art Practice this means that I will, in the Fallow Year, undertake no commissions, fill no orders and do only what I feel I would like to do Artistically ..In order to let the Weeds,Herbs and grasses of my Mind Flower while still attending  my workshop every day as ever. (because that is where I want to be .. in Toy-land ! )

This I made possible by opening a bank account some years ago in order to save enough to finance a years operation of  my workshop and general survival, on the understanding that whatever came first.. the Seventh year or the financial means .. That would signal the beginning of  THE FALLOW YEAR !!!…….  

Well .. by some Serendipitous timing .. today being the last day of the Financial year and tomorrow being the first day of the new one… and a Monday to boot ! .. I have reached that goal that I set and so am very happy to announce that as of midnight tonight .. I will begin this Fallow year and see what it yields !   

YaHooly !!!!