Cafe accepts rejected sculpture
Peninsula resident Roger Heighington has had his sculpture accepted for exhibition at a local cafe after it was rejected for the Gosford Art Prize.
Mr Heighington said he spent two years creating the sculpture called Frill of the City and said he believed it was "a very good sculpture, one of the best I have done".
It will now be on show at the Hatters Tea House at Ettalong.
Frill of the City depicts a stone frilled-neck lizard straddling a symbolic city and was carved from a single piece of stone.
"It is a statement regarding the ultimate triumph of nature over the human built environment," said Mr Heighington.
"I think it is a very relevant piece.
"It was created by a local artist and is made from sandstone, a local material.
"We are surrounded by this stone, the hills around us are made from it; it is at the very core of the identity of the Central Coast.
"Furthermore, it is the Year of the Dragon, and the frilled-neck lizard is a real-life Australian dragon.
"I saw the pieces that had been accepted into the art prize, and it was disappointing to see a lack of carved three-dimensional sculptures there.
"Sculpture, as far I'm concerned, is about taking a hunk of raw material and creating something else from it that can inspire other people.
"Sculpture is a tradition as old as the history of mankind.
"It's had a massive impact on our development as a species.
"If this tradition was lost, it would be nothing less than a tragedy.
"This whole situation makes me wonder whether traditional sculpture is still valued as an art form.
"All I wanted was for the piece to be exhibited so that the general public could appreciate it, and think about what it means," said Mr Heighington.
Hatters Tea House owner-manager Ms Annette Backshall said Hatters Tea House was a big supporter of all things local, "especially the rich pool of talented artists that reside on the Coast and we are very excited about showing this piece".
Email, 22 Oct 2012
Roger Heighington, Ettalong
Photo: Roger Heighington