March Meeting

About a dozen enthusiastic members joined Rudi Jass, one of our professional members, at his studio in Bayswater recently. Rudi’s more recent work will be familiar to most people; stainless steel and Corten pieces on a human scale. They can be found in many gardens around Melbourne and further afield. Some of these types of works we saw in his studio, either waiting to be taken to a show or a commissioner, or under construction. One we will all be able to see at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

Rudi perched on a stool and in his quiet unassuming manner told us of his early beginnings in sculpture; how he was asked to make a candlestick for a friend. Then there were more candlesticks. These became coffee tables and these became water features. The magazine Home and Garden and the television program Burke’s Backyard played a role in Rudi’s early development after he sent them pictures of a water feature. This led to Channel Nine making a feature of him resulting in an avalanche of phone calls from prospective clients.

He informed us that sculpture, as such, was not on the agenda until more recently and now, as we all know, that’s pretty much what he does. They do seem to be getting bigger though; one in his studio/factory that he bought not that many years ago stands about four metres high, a commission for a developer.

I have to say that I have never seen such a tidy studio; and it’s like that normally, without visitors. You get the feeling that nothing fazes Rudi, his confidence in himself and his work is justified. The state of his studio reflects the man; quiet, serene, tidy, unassuming, unpretentious and with a meticulous, some would say obsessive, attention to detail. With his large studio and many tools and machines, Rudi seems well set for the future, a future we all anticipate with great interest.

Thank you, Rudi, for sharing your studio and your thoughts with us; a most enjoyable and informative evening.

John Wooller