Goose eggs, goat skulls, human hair and every sort of bone you can imagine. Those are just some of the things that crowd the benches of Sally Simpson’s studio at her home in Wamboin.
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The artist and avid bone collector is fascinated by the macabre.
And she’s inviting you to discover her workshop and find out why nature make her tick. The public will have a rare chance to see inside the studio when Sally opens it up for the first time as part of the Arts Trail on Sunday, October 30.
She will be displaying an array of her previous collections, including pieces from her latest installment titled Objects for an unknown future museum. The voodoo-like pieces are made from organic and inorganic debris Sally has found washed up beaches, things she’s been collecting for many years.
Also on display will be the incredible collection of art made with the bones of cattle, including her famed Cattle Cross, a six-foot high sculpture made entirely of rib cages and vertebrae, created as part of the Berry Series.
Her former home, on an old dairy farm at Berry, proved an abundant source for cattle bones which she collected and now has stored in crates and boxes that line the studio walls.
To eliminate the smell of decay, Sally prepares the bones for storage using a variety of methods. Ant beds and worm farms prove handy tools for removing flesh. The sunny roof of her shed helps with the dehydration process.
Since moving to rural Wamboin about six years ago, she has continued to collect and prepare bones, among other things, for use in her art. Roadkill, rubbish from the beach and mummified fish from a dry lake have all become sources of inspiration.
Sally said she hoped when people stepped foot into her studio they found it as fascinating and inspiring as she does.
“I hope they’ll be really curious, not horrified,” she said.
“I might perhaps try to emphasise the beauty of particular bones, they’re extraordinary feats of nature, but they will probably think it’s macabre.”
Sally’s passion comes from the changing nature of the earth, and her artwork is reflective of that.
“The overarching theme of my work is the consideration of human relations with the land, the values we assign to it and the way it changes over time,” she said.
To book your place on an Arts Trail bus tour, phone 6285 6290. To experience the Trail through a self-guided tour, phone 6285 6170 for details.