Bruce Webb
"My next sculpture or painting will be my next masterpiece."
Artist Interview
What themes or ideas are at the heart of your body of work or your current body of work and what draws you to these ideas?
In recent times, it's been my travels overseas. I'm also a student of history. I love history, especially ancient history, so a lot of my works are what I perceive them to be.
I went to Spain 5 years ago, and got inspired by the people who looked for the New World and travelled to find new countries. A few of my sculptures and paintings are all about that.
Can you walk us through your creative process from your first spark of an idea, to the finished piece?
I draw most things before I start. I also look around at what I have in my factory, and I create from there.
Sometimes the work will sit on the floor, and I'll walk over it, and then I’ll find one piece will go with another piece. It often works that way.
I’ve read that sometimes you will create your sculpture and then the sculpture will inspire your paintings?
Very much so. I was painting very geometric things and a lot of my sculptures were metal, and I just transposed them onto the canvas.
But I'm trying to become a little bit more organic these days, and moving away from the geometric a little bit.
Some of my paintings are a bit whimsical!
(Webb points to one of his vibrant paintings hanging on the wall in his factory)
This one in particular is called ‘Listen to the Bananas.’
I write a lot as well and a lot of my writings are whimsical as well!
Which artists, experiences or environments have most influenced your practice over time?
My favourite sculptors in metal are David Smith from America, Anthony Caro from England.
When I was at college, I was inspired by them. I’m also inspired by Robert Jacks, an Australian sculptor and painter. Maybe about 10 years before I went to college, he was at college.
And there's currently a chap called Gareth Sansom, and he was lecturing back when I was at college, and he's still painting. I love his work! There’s also a chap just down the road in Tyabb called Rudi Jass. He makes kinetic art and I've been inspired by him quite a bit as well.
Are some of your paintings influenced by Warhol or some of the other American artists of the Pop Art movement?
That was all happening when I was at college. It’s a big influence! Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Indiana too. And as I get older, a guy that has influenced me a lot is David Hockney who recently passed away. I've been to many of his exhibitions. And even in his later years, he was still excited about using technology to create art. I’m fascinated by him.
There's lots of people that influence me and I like all sorts of art. I like performance art as well. Lots of things take my fancy!
What do you hope people feel, notice, or reflect on when seeing/engaging with your work?
I write little blurbs that accompany a lot of my work, and to me, they're well thought out. So, I hope they pick up on what I'm trying to show and the thoughts behind it.
(Webb points across the room to one of his metal sculptures)
There's one there called ‘The Man in the Mirror’ that was a piece of music that I listened to, and then I started thinking about looking in the mirror, and seeing the man in the mirror. My son has now turned 33, and I spoke to him about that, and he started looking in the mirror himself. So, whoever you see in the morning. It might be happy you; it might be sad you. It’s the man in the mirror.
What are you currently exploring or excited about in the future of your work or your studio?
As I mentioned earlier, I'm trying to be more organic in my paintings. And I'm also trying to move away from the metal as I get older. It's getting a little bit heavy for me. I'm moving towards wood and timber of all types. I shape it all myself.
(Webb points to one of his recent sculptures made of wood)
You'll see the wood sculpture over there. It’s called ‘The Head.’
Is it a similar process to creating your metal sculptures?
With the metal, I bend a lot of stuff. I have tools to bend and shape. A lot of the stuff is also manmade, but I've just used it in a different way. They might have been manufactured for a different reason, and I've just utilised them in a different way.
Is there anything else that we haven't touched on that you'd like to share?
On my website, like David Hockney, I’m exploring digital art. I draw a lot on my iPad and I’m trying to improve in that way, and I still try to draw most days just to keep practice.
I come from Eltham, and my wife and I are currently building a house in Mount Martha, so we're going to make the sea change! I am inspired by coastal types of things, so lately I have been moving towards, sea creatures, as well as what man has put in the seas, such as pylons and all of that. I’m fascinated by all of that, and I’ve been driving around this area and stopping to have a look at all the little places where there are jetties. It’s so interesting how this side of the bay is completely different to the other side; Western Port Bay.
So, do you feel your work has gotten more optimistic over time?
Very much so! Some of my early stuff was a bit dour. I was actually just reminiscing about some of the stuff that I did when I was at college. And yeah, some of it was pretty awful! The themes more than anything else, but yeah, you know, I'm more about fun these days. Like I said, a little bit of humour and trying to be a little bit witty!
Interview and photography by Amelia Morgan. Images Ebb and Flow & Sentinel #8 from@brucewebbart.
