Watters Gallery

1975

“Morphological Structures” – Tall Sticks, Araganu Lead Covered Rocks, Rock Stacks, Rocks in Eggs, Lead Pyramid, Rock Teapots “This was the first show I had in Australia. The NGA bought some lead covered rocks” “Message Sticks” “We asked people to write on them, dignifying graffiti. I would do some work on them and the general public would complete the other half. Anyone can be an artist”

“Alberto Stripped 2”- Lead Pyramid with pole coming out the top, Watters Gallery, Sydney, ANG, Canberra, and Mildura 1975

“When I first came to Australia, I bought a vacant block in Balmain at Iron Cove. That’s where I did sculpture. Here is the Lead Pyramid at my house, just after I made it. After being exhibited at Watters Gallery it went to Mildura”

Frank Watter’s Property 1976

“When my wife and I separated I cut a nuptial bed in half and made it into two spiky beds. I buried them at Frank’s place so just the spikes were showing. Later the police dug it up as suspicious. Frank sued them for destroying an artwork.”

“Junctions”, Watters Gallery, Sydney, 1978

“These were relics brought back from the ephemeral work I did out in the field.

This was the theme, the essence through all my work – air, fire, earth, water”

Exchange Boxes

Frank Watters Place, 1984

We brought the lead pyramid back to Frank’s place. It was a haven there, a retreat, a resting place, a place of renewal.”

“Antipodean L.A.X.(Plus)”, Watters Gallery, 1985

“That was a very good piece. A great little piece. A model with water and sky. It is in Parliament House now I believe. It was an abstract of all my work, of all the things I’ve been talking about. A feather to represent wind, mercury to represent water, a compass to represent orientation. It is a model of a big outdoor piece I did at LA Airport.

There are photos on the wall of the outdoor piece.

That’s how I found the Dingo Fence. I hired a plane and was skirting around looking for inspiration. Then I saw the Dingo Fence. That was it! North, South, East, West, Man, Nature.

And these diagrams on the wall – wind, water, orientation, all the same elements from Sculpture At The Top End. This triptych mural still exists; Canberra has a copy of it. It was a graphic composite, an abstract of everything I had done. A montage. These are a reflection of me being an academic, all these diagrams.

“Antipodean L.A.X. (Annex-2)”, Avago Gallery, Sydney, 1985

“Antipodean L.A.X. (Annex-1)”, Avago Gallery, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 1985

“Exchange Boxes”, Ray Hughes Gallery, Brisbane, 1980

“Each box was a collaboration with another artist.”

“Exchange Boxes”, Ewing Gallery and George Paton Gallery, Melbourne, 1980

“Antipodean L.A.X.(Plus)”, Watters Gallery, 1985

There are photos on the wall of the outdoor piece.

That’s how I found the Dingo Fence. I hired a plane and was skirting around looking for inspiration. Then I saw the Dingo Fence. That was it! North, South, East, West, Man, Nature.

This cube is another model with a mirror at the bottom, with a feather and a tiny model of a house. A lovely little piece. I did a dozen. Every one sold. This one ended up in Canberra, in the Parliament House Collection.”

That was the last show I ever had. Then I quit my job, sold my factory, gave up art for love, and went back to the US to marry my childhood sweetheart, Jennifer Hopkins, who had four children. All for love. It was a right move. Her crazy mountain man ex tried to kill her and tried to kill me when I turned up.

My first big mistake was going to university. My second big mistake was getting involved in art.

Now I am realizing Art is irrelevant, like most people down here who just live and enjoy the environment. Who needs artists?