Sculpere Newsletter: Feature Sculptor This Month: Rod Sanders

Rod, working as a pharmacist, was greatly influenced by student work at RMIT and the Centre 5 group of sculptors, so much so that he undertook a degree part time at RMIT in fine arts. Six years by a mature student part time was no mean feat. He subsequently sold the pharmacy, bought property at Red Hill, and joined the ASV in the late 1970s. He was greatly influenced by Carl Duldig in these early days, and with his encouragement started to exhibit continuously. Initial work was using laminated wood but glue problems led him to turn to steel brought home by his daughters from BHP, and subsequently he found great satisfaction with Corten steel.
Rod says he prefers to build rather than carve, and prefers independence from a foundry. His process involves drawings, then a Marquette in industrial plasticine with steel armatures. Templates are made on paper, enlarged 3 times, and then wooden templates crated on chipboard. Steel is cut with a plasma torch, and then a battle royal starts to form the steel as in the Marquette, and weld the whole together so we can’t see the joins.
Rod started with very figurative work, became very abstract in his RMIT studies, and is now most happy with a combination of figurative and abstractive elements.
His “Young Lady” won the ASV Margaret Gunnerson-Thomas prize in 2006. He has been a loyal ASV supporter, was President for a year, and has also run various ASV activites.
Pressure of farm work inhibits production of sculpture at times.
Keep it up Rod! Even if neither major political party seems to have a clear policy on supporting the Arts.
“Beach Girl”