The beginning of Ben Tooth’s artistic career was a little different from most of his peers.
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“I didn’t do any art in high school but decided to give it a go after watching an ex-girlfriend of mine go through National Art School (NAS),” he said.
“After that, I moved to Armidale to do a portfolio for my NAS application and was lucky enough to be taught by Walcha artist Ross Laurie at TAFE.
Mr Tooth then met Walcha sculptor Stephen King and his wife Julia and daughter Gemma (both of whom are accomplished artists) at the Walcha Gallery of Art.
“I started to help Steve on one of his sculptures that year and then got accepted into NAS the following year.”
Mr Tooth has just held his first exhibition along with Gemma King and Rosie Waugh – another young Walcha artist.
Tooth’s work is a collection of wooden maquettes exploring the play of light and shadow based on forms found in farm gates and stock grids.
“Gemma, Rosie and myself are all very good friends, and I guess hopefully the next generation of Walcha artists so we thought we would have a show together and see what happens,” Mr Tooth said.
“I feel this exhibition has been a big step in my work. All of the sculptures were based around entrances to farms like cattle grids but while creating the work I came to a realisation that I can abstract these grids into anything I want.
“My work has changed from being purely abstraction construction at art school to completely figurative carving after, to now a bit of a combination of both carving with a chainsaw but abstracting the forms.”
I feel this exhibition has been a big step in my work.
- Ben Tooth
Mr Tooth is now permanently based in Walcha after a job offer from Stephen King.
“When I finished at art school Steve asked me if I would like to move up and work for him full time,” he said.
“My family is all from the country, but I grew up in Sydney and Armidale so when I had the opportunity to come up and have some more space I jumped on it.
“I have never properly had my own studio space until very recently, so that has been my biggest motivation, having the freedom to make whatever I like in a space that is pretty amazing. I was so happy with the exhibition and how it all went, we had and incredible turn out and lots of red dots.”
Ben Tooth’s sculptures are on exhibit at the Walcha Gallery of Art until Wednesday, May 16.
Vanessa Arundale
Everyone has a story to tell and I like to help them do it.
Everyone has a story to tell and I like to help them do it.
