February 1 - 7, 2023
Animal instinct for sculptures By BELINDA HARRISON LIVING and working on a farm provides Catherine Sonnemann the perfect opportunity to study a range of animals, and gives her access to materials to create amazing metal animal sculptures. “Living on a farm you need to be versatile and able to fix most things yourself so there is always been plenty of work and sculpturing to keep one busy,” Catherine said. “My metal of choice for my sculptures is steel high and low carbon. “Most of the metal comes from our farm, however on occasion I am given metal from people who would like to see their scrap recycled.” Catherine is a self-taught welder and has completed a blacksmithing and knife making course in New Zealand, as well as a sculpture class, which she says has widened her knowledge base and helped her find her own style of creating life in metal. “I have had a fascination with metal since I was young, when I would watch my brother work with metal and I love the liquidity of it. “It can be shaped to create something of beauty; I re-purpose once discarded or unused farm metal and implements to give them a second life as something of beauty.” Catherine’s first sculpture was a memorial to her parents’ dog - a Schnauzer - and her country life influences her art, and what she creates. “My husband Neil and I live near Beechworth where we farm cattle and I go on field research and education trips in the pursuit of really knowing the animal I’m going to create a sculpture of,” Catherine said.
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◆ PRIZE-WINNING: Catherine won 3rd prize with her Iron Atlas sculpture in the recent Kemppi Australia Sculpture Competition. PHOTO: Stuart Orr , Kemppi Australia
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