The March Meeting - visiting Bruce Armstrong in his Studio

The large workshop in Cremorne, once a car repair joint, is filled with a range of timbers in various forms, roughly sawn, whittled, tooled, carved, sculpted. Works finished, are nestled amongst the beginnings of the execution of another idea. The scent of timber and oils fills my nostrils as I wander through the maze of logs and sheets of jarrah, red gum, oak and other timbers, which are clustered throughout the space. In one corner there is a cleared space – paints and brushes are on the table together with a visual diary.

Sitting in a comfortable armchair, surrounded by over two dozen members of the ASV, Bruce chats about his philosophy on art and his practice. He has been carving, painting, printmaking and drawing for over 30 years. He graduated from RMIT in 1981 (with one of our own members) with a Graduate Diploma in Sculpture after completing a BA in Sculpture from the same institution. As a student he was the winner of the Tina Wencher Prize, which gave him great encouragement to pursue his passion for making art and possibly why he has focused on his sculptural works.

We are invited to wander about the studio and ask about his practice. Bruce is happy to talk about his techniques. Small groups of people examine and discuss the works scattered about the studio.

Bruce goes on to talk about how he enjoys making work to express himself rather than be caught up with the "elite" group. He says it is important to be true to yourself in your practice. He is taking a break from making three dimensional works and is now focusing on his works on paper. For how long? Maybe one year – maybe five!

We leave Bruce having been the beneficiaries of an insight into another artist’s world.

Before my visit to Bruce’s studio I did some research. He is a private person and very little is available about him in print or on the web. He holds a long list of commissions starting from 1984 and is probably best known for his monumental animal sculptures found in public spaces in Melbourne.

Bruce has been producing and exhibiting his sculptures and works on paper since 1981 in solo and group exhibitions throughout Australia, Korea and Japan. His self portrait was a finalist in the 2005 Archibald Prize. Disenchanted with exhibiting in groups shows, Bruce took time out from 2000 – 2010. His work is represented in all the State Galleries in Australia as well as the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and in public and private collections in Japan.

Marija Patterson