Cool fresh start

["Clive Murray-White" <clivemw@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi all cool fresh starters,

I ve been a sculptor all my life, first solo exhibition 1967, taught in
Universities from the 60's - the 90's last post, Head of Sculpture Monash
University Victoria Australia. Taught: Sculpture, Art History ( Art Since
1945) and Drawing.

In 1983 I moved from the hot house environment of the Melbourne capital city
art world to rural Victoria believing that there was another, better art in
me than the one that I started out doing, I had no idea what it might be but
I'd try and find it.

As with many things in life fortuitous accidents occur, someone brought some
local marble into the studio one day and I thought I'd give it a bash, I've
never used anything since. An Aboriginal student, Laurie Nielsen who valued
and respected his cultural roots used to have a go at me by saying, "why do
white people go out of their way to reject their long and meritorious
culture all the time and worse still why do they try to steal everybody
else's?"

This question struck such a cord because it is clearly true that I set out
to re-forge my own links with my own culture. Or as I say it these days, put
back all the things that were arbitrarily thrown out of art during the 20th
century.

I gave up teaching altogether 6 years ago, set up my ideal studio and work
in it pretty much everyday and what seemed like a frightening gamble has
turned into the most fantastic success. I haven't been at liberty to post
pictures of my latest project on my web site but I will once it has been
launched in October.

I received the commission from the National Gallery of Victoria to make a
celebratory monument to Alfred Felton who left a phenomenal amount of money
(in modern terms $40,000,000) to the Gallery 100 years ago. In British terms
that's like making the Tate monument

Why do I contribute to Learning Stone? well I'm entirely self taught (stone
wise) and it makes me feel as if I've got the best resource in the world to
help me when I need it.... Oh Yes I do miss teaching so it also fills that
gap a bit.

http://www.cowwarr.com/CliveMurray-White/

Best regards to all and thanks for all the help so far. Clive

PS We do lots of other things which you'll be able to see on the Cowwarr web
site

Sculptor Clive Murray-White
Cowwarr Art Space
E-mail: clivemw@---------------
Web: www.cowwarr.com