Maggie Barnes-Oake, of Moonambel, is an accomplished ceramacist, painter and natural stylist.  Having grown up in England, she came out to Australia in 1981.  Since then she’s lived in various places and at the beginning of this Century, Maggie made the decision to leave Port Melbourne and head out to the country.
 
She bought two acres, built  and styled her modest cabin-style home in the small township of Lexton, adding extensions, and transforming over time it into a much larger, welcoming and character-rich bush retreat. Five years ago, tempted by another opportunity to fulfil a life-long dream, she moved even deeper into the Pyrenees, to the sparsely populated area of Moonambel.
 
Maggie was attracted to the artistic community in the area, so started looking around. She says her heart just melted when she came across a dilapidated mud brick house in need of a complete renovation. The 16 acres and the mobs of kangaroos that came with the property were a bonus. There are some things that are less than ideal about living in the bush however, such as the prospect of fire; something she experienced first-hand on part of her property several years ago. That was the end of the grape vines! With temperatures in the high thirties and low forties in Summer, sometimes her paint dries on the brush before it even reaches the canvas. In typically gregarious Maggie style, she laughs these gluggy moments away. She says she’s having a lovely time and living a happy life.
 
Having won the esteemed Gold Coast International Ceramic Art Award (now in it’s 30th year) for her work "donkey’s years ago,” Maggie mostly focuses on painting these days. Having had her time in the sun, Maggie is now keen to help put a spotlight on the broader range of talent that exists in regional Victoria. She says “There are some really great artists out here, and many of these people came from the city by choice. They’re here and they’re producing some very strong work.”. 

Melinda Muscat, of Ballarat, Victoria, is a terrifically talented creator of richly dramatic spaces. Entering her private world is a wholly embracing experience. Every single room, and every nook and cranny, no matter how mundane its normal purpose, is dressed to the nines as though on stage, set for an absolute extravaganza. Even her laundry sings.

Melinda's ornate decorating style is part and parcel of her overall flair for creating an almost baroque opulence with a flamboyant twist. As a large format painter, sculptor, brooch and handbag maker, and a long-term collector of crockery, vintage trinkets, garden ornaments and all sorts of interesting adornments, she knows how to put it all into the mix to make a major expressive statement. 

The most striking aspect of her heavily ornate decorative work is the breadth of influences she draws from: orthodox religious iconography, both Christian and Hindu, as well as Hawaiian and Islander sprinklings, a bit of Texan and Mexican; you name it - It's all there, and most surprisingly of all, it really works. Her colour palette involves predominantly primary colours, such as emerald green, royal blue, turquoise, ruby red and marone, but then she shakes things  up here and there with musky pink and gilt gold, and generous layerings of glittering decorations. Among all of this, of course, is her own very powerful art-work. It's a lot to soak up in one viewing, but very warm and surprisingly whimsical - a lot like Melinda herself.

In our next post on Melinda's artistic output and visual splendour, we'll focus on the way she views things, how she came to develop this unique style and what it means to her. She's a magnificent talent, and we at Polly Provincial are awed by her work with multi-media, all of which she curates with aplomb. We hope you will be too.

Polly Prov INTERVIEW # 1

Having recently introduced John Wrigglesworth (PP 17.1.14) by way of a short profile and a few snaps of his wonderful work, we now present here the full interview and some visual glimpses into his carefully considered and rather magical world.  

What’s your take on interior styling, John?

Often people want a change in their home, but don’t know what to do, and don’t think they have the money for an interior stylist. They may really want to have someone come in and decorate, but think it’s something only rich people can afford.

As a sculptor, what I’m good at is being able to help people see how to use the things they already have. I respect exactly what they’ve got and recognize what they love.  I do not want to make a place that's just like another fashion plate. You can see that with my own lounge room, I use things that have a history.  I like to give people an opportunity to think “Wow… I didn’t realize it could look like this!”  

It’s a bit like a makeover show, where you might spend a bit of money finding new pieces that are additions, but intrinsically you’re just using existing objects. I clean the room out first, then bring all the furniture and objects back in with my eye, to see what we might think about each placement. Usually rooms have just grown into what they are through people not having enough time to stand back and look at them properly.

There’s a sort of organic honesty to what you do...

Well, I look at what’s really necessary.  Some things bring the whole room down, and don’t do justice to other elements that are absolutely stunning. There are people who are frustrated with how things look, and want a change but do not know what to do. Like so many people, I haven’t got a million bucks, so I’ve got to do something with what I’ve got, and think about how I can make it different.

This is still using your art. A friend of mine, who’s known me since I was about 13, says that I always end up living inside my art. The houses I create create become a piece of artwork in themselves. They do this by offering a reflection of who I am and what I like. I started off having to work with just one room, so I have a good sense of how to fit a lot into a room without it being overdone.

I understand you worked in film and television as a set dresser and a props maker for a while...

Yes, I worked in props and set dressing for about twenty years, in Australia and also in Europe. That’s an eye thing. But personally, I just find that I cannot be in a room and do my art work if I feel that things need organising around me. Cleanliness, simplicity and organization are essential to my calm.  If I’m working on something for a few weeks I can let stuff go everywhere, but before I start the next job I have to clean it all up and put everything back where it belongs.  So I know where it is, and everything I might need is easy to access. It has to be practical because of limited space.

What has influenced your taste?

Taste is secondary. The first question is 'What place did art fill in my life?' Why did I need to be an artist? The idea of taste and design is part of the education that happens as a result of an interest in art.

When you grow up in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne as a gay boy, knowing from the age of four or so, that you are gay, you are separate and you are on your own, you become someone who sits in your bedroom, day dreaming and wanting to turn that day dreaming into something. The only thing I could turn it into was a drawing. It’s an intrinsic part of who I am. I rail against people who think that mentioning their sexuality is somehow disconnected from other elements of their life. When I was young there were no gay clubs, no gay newspapers, it was still illegal, you were a pariah, you knew that you were bad, and I shouldn’t keep saying you as if it were separate from me, but I feared people finding out, I feared my father, I feared being unloved, I feared all of those things, so it was a massive motivation for introspection.

Art was the only way to get that introspection out. So for me the art wasn’t necessarily a God-given talent. I think all human beings have the capability be taught to write or draw, given the time and the right environment.  I don’t believe in a separatist image of artists as somehow elite or special. What makes artists different is another story. But all human beings are, or at least can be, creative. We just need to be placed in the environment that encourages that, and for me my sexuality was a very powerful impetus to generate art.

What has inspired you?

There are subconscious influences that are an accumulation of years of looking at magazines, landscapes and interiors. We have a response to these things, and we build up a residual of memories of things we like and we don’t like, and that builds our taste. So, my own design involves a mixture of visual placement, shapes, colours but also environmental interests. For example I try not to go out and buy new materials, so the use of second hand and recycled objects determines the end product. It’s obviously going to be very different to going into a generic super-store and buying new things. So there are all different influences, depending on the relevance of them to what is actually being worked on and the ability to find appropriate raw materials.

Summary

John’s work has been exhibited and sold in London, Hong Kong and Melbourne.

In 2011 he contributed an original, hand-made piece to the Lorne Sculpture Exhibition, in coastal Victoria.  This giant orb called ‘Dogma’ was two metres in diameter. It was inspired by the smaller work, pictured above right. John specializes in unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade works utilizing materials with texture, depth and soul. 

John takes private commissions and can be contacted via email: jwrigglesworth@spin.net.au

Polly Prov Profile #1

John Wrigglesworth, of Ballarat, Victoria, is an artful sculpter, but also a stunningly strong self-taught stylist.  He has an extraordinary ability to transform the otherwise mundane interiors and gardens of his residential abodes into ambient spaces, creating the impression that he’s been wherever he is for absolutely years, maybe even for generations.

Polly Provincial had the pleasure of first meeting John two years ago when he was residing most elegantly in a generously endowed heritage home near Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree. It struck us immediately as a gentleman’s estate, oozing ambience from every perfectly manicured room, complete with classical music wafting through the house. While the building he inhabited was, in fact, an arts and crafts bungalow of an austere and by-gone era, it exuded a deeply sophisticated other-worldliness, thanks to John’s careful caress.

The thing that impressed us most about John is that everything he does is created on the shadow of a shoe-string budget, yet somehow expresses a mystique and majesty that so many people pay a fortune trying to achieve.  Filled with a rustic yet surprisingly delicate mix of found objects, vintage bric-o-brac and his own masterful creations, John’s homes become inhabitable museums emanating a warmth and complexity that is second-to-none.

In our next post we'll bring you a selection of images from John’s new place, still in Ballarat, and an interview in which John shares his inspirations and motivations for attention to detail. We'll virtually take you straight into this scene below, sit you down and offer you some insights into the styling influences of John Wrigglesworth.