On Saturday 2 May, TBSSS students Margaret Fitzgerald and Nicky McGinn will be jointly exhibiting their sculptures in Modern Interaction, our next exhibition at Clara Street Gallery. Margaret and Nicky are good friends, and have become valued members of our studio community in the years they've been sculpting here. We're lucky to be chatting with them both ahead of their exhibition.
Clara Street Gallery: First of all, what do you mean by "Modern Interaction"? Are you interacting with each other, with the world as a whole, with any particular artists?
Nicky: The title of the exhibition refers to our mutual love of Mid-Century Modern design and our long term friendship with each other.
Margaret: Nicky and I have been friends for approx. 30 years and together we have exchanged ideas and influenced each other’s artistic creativity. We have discovered our commonality in the love of the abstract. My influences are Margel Hinder, Bronwyn Oliver, Barbara Hepworth, Conor Fallon, Kenneth Armitage, Henry Moore, Lynn Chadwick, and Constantin Brancusi.
Tell me about the sculptures you've both selected for the exhibitions, what kind of pieces, mediums, and stories have you brought together?
Margaret: The works chosen are an example of marble and bronze sculptures, over a period of 10 years. The marble pieces are from my early work to my recent work influenced by Henry Moore’s Reclining Figures and other works. My bronze pieces have been created in the last 2 years and were influenced by Barbara Hepworth and various other artists.
Nicky: I've included a new range called, 'Modern Metallic' which uses coloured metallic paint to embellish the alabaster sculptures along with some other modernist inspired pieces in marble, plaster and glass.
Nicky had a wonderful feature in our Student Profile series in January, where we heard about her background in Canberra and her love for Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and David Tolley. Margaret, what's your background?
Margaret: My work is an exploration. In sculpting I absorb myself in the process and it gives me a sense of calm and enjoyment which I have not experienced in any other medium. The minutes turn into hours and I am lost in my own world. I am absorbed in the creative pursuit of aesthetic simplicity and inner peace.
Lastly, are there any highlights in your time sculpting that stand out to you both? A favourite workshop, a sculpture you've made, a particular moment in the studio?
Margaret: Discovering marble carving was a highlight in my creative practice and the pace of the medium has explored my newly discovered meditative journey.
Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School has allowed me to discover the joy of sculpture in a range of mediums and taught by highly experienced teachers in a a creative and inspiring environment.
Nicky: I've always wanted to study art and, even though I've worked in and around the architecture & design industry for most of my life, I've never felt as fulfilled and joyous as I have since commencing studies at Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School. I've learnt so much from the incredibly talented sculptors Wendy Black and Carol Crawford who have both been an inspiration to me.
Thanks both for chatting with us! See you at the exhibition opening on Saturday 2 May, and to anyone who can't make it then, the show will be running until 16 May in Clara Street Gallery at TBSSS.
Pictured above: Margaret and Nicky
Pictured below: Taglietti and Grounds by Nicky McGinn, Solar and Evolve by Margaret Fitzgerald
