Cultural

"Bush Friendship"- Hugh Sawrey & Darkie Dwyer - life-size bronze

life-size
Commissioned by Art@Kogan - Hugh Sawrey Country Inc., designed & created ...Read Morelife-size
Commissioned by Art@Kogan - Hugh Sawrey Country Inc., designed & created by Bodo Muche to stand in the Village of Kogan. This monument celebrates the life and talent of one of Queensland’s most famous artists, Hugh Sawrey, as he was when he lived in Kogan, on the eve of his departure to Brisbane.
BUSH FRIENDSHIP comments by sculptor Bodo Muche
I met artist Hugh Sawrey and author Laurie Kavanagh in Buderim, Queensland in the nineties at the launching of their book  “Outback”.  I enjoyed talking with Hugh and we seemed to have an empathy with common ground, such as the pleasures of sitting by a campfire, observing and pondering the bush, its creatures, culture and heritage and as an artist passionately wanting to preserve and share this with others. I admired his work as a painter, his depiction of horses and the impressionistic flair he gave his paintings. In the circle of time and events, the book “Outback” now lies cast in bronze  on the table with Hugh Sawrey and his great mate, Nelson Darkie Dwyer, also cast in bronze.  It has been a great pleasure retrospectively “getting to know” these two gentlemen, as well as some of their family members and friends, over the past three years during the researching  and  modelling of BUSH FRIENDSHIP. It was very pleasing to have had the sculpture well received by them.In 2009 I was asked by ART @ KOGAN – the Hugh Sawrey Country Inc. Committee to design and produce a sculpture of Hugh  and Darkie” Dwyer, the BUSH FRIENDSHIP monument. I mulled over this for a little bit, but not for too long. The concept appealed to me. Hugh Sawrey was such a talented impressionist, depicting his visions of the bush and rural life in Australia, and his time in Kogan was the time before he became famous. Darkie Dwyer, the Kogan publican and jockey was friend & confidant, and one would assume, gave Hugh the encouragement needed to accept & launch himself as an artist into full time painting and as we all know, success followed. Theirs was a true bush friendship.The brief was to have these two gentlemen playing cards, the game of Eucha.  Darkie as the publican of old Kogan stock is the dominant figure. Hugh was a talented painter unsure of himself and before success came knocking. He still earned his living by shearing, mustering and fencing and Darkie would have given him every support and encouragement to make it as a painter. I modelled Darkie in smart town attire, which he usually seemed to wear whilst behind the pub counter, thanks to his wife, Beryl. Hugh is in smart stockman’s gear, leather pouch for the watch and as they both were smokers, there are tobacco tins and cigarette paper in their shirt pockets.  A branch of gum leaves rests by Darkie as he would often have played a gum leaf tune. Hugh’s hat and brushes are at his side. While in some ways the antithesis of each other, these two complex, colourful characters sparked inspiration together!This is how I imagine they did look, as mates of easy and familiar rapport. They look at each other, trying to keep a straight face. The dealt out cards represent absent friends and the Outback book down turned represents transition and success for Hugh, his adventures and travels as well as the spirit of enduring bush friendships.I used walnut timber for the table and benches with stainless steel legs for a contemporary edge. I tried to create a sculpture which would feel good to touch and invite interaction.To sculpt is a great passion for me and to create sculptures to which people may physically, mentally and emotionally relate to.  They have to fit into an anatomically correct frame and in the case of animals I prefer to have observed them within the context of the sculpture. Not only does the sculpture have to have a balance which makes it just right from any angle but it has to be right too for the blind person who feels them and the observer who wants to touch them. Both people and animal compositions fall within this guide for me;  body language and facial expressions have to conform but leaving the viewer room to have his or her own interpretation; ideally the BUSH FRIENDSHIP monument has all this imbued. Technically it has been a very challenging sculpture.




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