A CHAINSAW weilded by Aboriginal artist Russell Saunders ripped through four Manning Valley tallowwood logs to reveal goannas that now stand as sentries at the Victoria Street entrance to Centerpoint Arcade in Taree.
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Five weeks of work gave life to four goannas that now wrap the sculpture poles and yesterday, early morning traffic in Victoria Street slowed to pedestrian pace as drivers sought to see what tradesmen were working to install on the sidewalk.
The sculptures are part of the plan to revitalise Centerpoint Arcade and contribute to the Civic HeArt initiative that is bringing art to the heart of the central business district.
Russell is delighted that his work is part of the beautification of the street and is hopeful that in time the area will once again draw the community together.
"Victoria Street was the heart of the town. When I was a kid each year we would look forward to the (Manning River) Aquatic Festival, to be able to see the parades and all the people who would come to town. The shops and the street bought the community to the heart of the town. It was wonderful," Russell said.
"Time and tiredness brought change. We now need to facelift our area to again draw our community, and tourists into a beautiful part of our town."
Chalk, a chainsaw, a grinder and a sander are Russell's tools of choice and his sculptures are emerging as iconic features at key locations throughout the Manning Valley.
The decision to give life to goannas from the tallowwood logs came from Centerpoint Arcade owner, Maurie Stack, and they complement the three-metre goanna sculpture by Rick Reynolds that is installed in Victoria Street outside the Aboriginal radio station, Ngarralinyi.
The sculptures will be nourished with oil to maintain the deep gold colour of the tallowwood and to protect them from exposure to sun, wind and rain.
Russell's eye and hand will soon turn to another piece of tallowwood and it will stand in the heart of Centerpoint Arcade.
He says it will have a water theme and smiles as he contemplates the project and the process of its creation.
"Once I have the theme in my mind I will get a bit of chalk and draw an outline," he explained.
"I will use a chainsaw to cut the shape and then a sander and grinder to smooth out the lines. The skill is using the chainsaw and trying to make my cuts smooth," he said.
"I'm not a perfectionist in the sense of putting in details such eyes and skin texture, I'm more about shape, I like to leave it to the imagination of people looking at my work rather than trying to achieve realism with every detail. I have my way of doing things."
That way of doing things is applauded and unites people from the Aboriginal and non-indigenous communities in the Manning Valley. His sculptures also stand in Harry Bennett Park in Taree, at Harrington Waters, Taree South Highway Service Centre, Tinonee and within the grounds of Taree High School. The community can now celebrate the inclusion of four sculpture poles in Victoria Street and look forward to one more as the Civic HeArt project continues to transform Taree.
