How Three Australian Sculptors Landed Their Dream Job
We talk to three sculptors about how they took a leap of faith to turn their passion projects into full-time jobs.
Words: Hande Renshaw
Jan Vogelpoel’s hand built pieces draw influence from mid-century designs. Photo: Jan Vogelpoel
An alabaster sculpture made by Carol Crawford in her Surry Hills studio. Photo: Becca Crawford
Turning a passion project into a paying gig is not always an easy task.
Likewise, the journey of an artist from concept to execution is rarely straightforward but full of twists and turns. For some it’s a hobby that weaves itself into everyday consciousness from an early age; for others it's a passion discovered later in life.
Whatever the path taken, an artist’s journey is always one I’m fascinated to hear about.
I spoke to three Australian sculptors I admire – Sarah Nedovic Gaunt, Carol Crawford and Jan Vogelpoel – about their respective journeys. Each story is equally inspiring.
One thing that stood out among all three women is how passionate they are about their craft and how deeply grateful they are to be able to do what they love each day and call it ‘work’.
For Melbourne-based Sarah Nevodic Gaunt, the journey to her professional career as a sculptor started early in the garment industry. But it was her time working as a textile designer with some of Australian’s premium fashion brands that shaped her into the artist she is today.
‘I spent a lot of time exploring the way patterns exist and I use those techniques now when I’m making my lamps. I’ll connect shapes and create patterns to ensure that the form of my lamps are strong and balanced. The skills gathered from working with textiles are now fundamental to my style.’
Her move into sculpting came after she realised fashion was no longer for her.
‘I began exploring this desire I've always had to work with my hands; and when I began, it felt completely comfortable – suddenly there was no space between me and the objects I was making.’
‘A love for interiors led me to build pieces that I could imagine in beautiful spaces,’ says Jan Vogelpoel Photo: Jan Vogelpoel
‘I’m awe-inspired that every piece I make is a new story of our environment; that there’s this wonderful connection between me and the earth and the providence of the materials,’ says Sarah Nedovic Gaunt. Photo: Josh Robenstone
“Clay and sculpture has been my creative awakening; I feel a responsibility to do good work and pay respect to the materials I’m working with. Like I’ve become a link in history; part of something more permanent.”
‘I still amaze myself that I have become a sculptor; my progression into full-time sculpting has come organically,’ says Carol Crawford. Photo: Becca Crawford
“Becoming a sculptor is a slow and patient profession but also one of the most fulfilling. I couldn’t live without creating my sculptures; they breathe life into me and me into them.”
‘The filing stage is what takes 90 per cent of my time – it’s the process I love best and where I can see the sculpture coming to life and blooming,’ says Carol Crawford. Photo: Becca Crawford
Unlike Sarah, Carol Crawford discovered sculpting later in life. What started as a quiet yearning evolved slowly over the years until it was impossible to ignore.
‘I still amaze myself that I’m a sculptor. My progression into full-time sculpting has come organically. I always loved art and beautiful objects and had a passion for art history and creating various forms of art but it wasn’t until my youngest child was five years old (in the early 2000s) that I felt it was time I could follow my passion of “getting my hands dirty” and creating three dimensional sculptures,’ she says.
Today Carol spends her days in her studio in the old rag-trade hub of Surry Hills in Sydney, a sun-filled space ideal for making her alabaster pieces.
Carol’s works are a labour of love: her small sculptures take around three weeks to complete, while larger pieces can take many months.
‘I love the interpretive nature of working with stone and also the uncertainty of the resultant form. I consider myself a “stone psychiatrist”. I talk to the stone and listen to what it is telling me, and then work on it and listen again. It’s a process that can’t be hurried.’
Jan Vogelpoel’s hand built pieces draw influence from mid-century designs. Photo: Jan Vogelpoel
‘It's been two years since I started this new journey and I constantly pinch myself as I can't quite believe how lucky I am,’ says Jan Vogelpoel. Photo: Courtesy of Bed Threads
‘Being able to create sculptures was a yearning that kept growing over a number of years,’ says Carol Crawford. Photo: Becca Crawford
‘I feel like clay and sculpture has been my creative awakening. I feel a responsibility to pay respect to the materials I’m working with, like I've become a link in history, part of something more permanent,’ says Sarah Nedovic Gaunt. Photo: Josh Robenstone
Rounding off the trio, Jan Vogelpoel studied graphic design and spent the best part of her career working in fashion and interiors.
‘I attended weekly ceramics classes for as long as I can remember and as most clay artists will tell you, once you get the clay bug it's difficult to shake,’ says Jan.
For the last two years Jan has made sculpting a full-time occupation, working from home in Melbourne to create her hand-built, mid-century influenced pieces.
‘I live and breathe clay 24/7; I'll admit that I'm a little obsessed,’ says Jan. ‘When I am in the zone I can sit for hours and time just flies by – it’s such a lovely flow.”
Jan admits that breaking into the ceramic world wasn’t easy: ‘When I first arrived in Melbourne I didn’t have any contacts, so breaking into an already saturated market was difficult.’
It was around this time that she converted a room at her home into a studio and slowly began sculpting full time. As is the case for many creatives, Jan started an Instagram account as a platform to showcase her work – the result was a raging success, with enquiries flooding in almost immediately.
‘There have been challenges but it just flows, which is confirmation that I’m on the right path. I’m excited to see where it takes me.’
Between them, Sarah, Carol and Jan have had many ‘pinch me’ moments as they’ve risen as artists. All three women are grateful to be working full-time on their passion projects but also humble enough to remember the journeys that took them to where they are today. That’s the mark of any artist’s true growth.
Jan Vogelpoel creates concepts for new designs in her Melbourne studio. Photo: Courtesy of Bed Threads
Sarah Nedovic Gaunt in her Melbourne studio. Photo: Josh Robenstone