Interview
Philip Jones
Philip Jones developed a real appreciation for the inherent magic of metal working making gold chains at a Turkish jewelers and continued to hone his skills through Tafe engineering and welding courses. In 1999, he graduated properties construction for theatre and film at the National Institute of Dramatic Art where he found his flair for expression and working out on a limb an element that he now brings to his sculpting. Philip has been heavily involved in Sydney’s art scene for the past 30 years. Having chaired the Threshold art collective in the Manly Arts Festival, and working for the past 20 years with Australian Bronze fine art foundry where aside from working closely with some of this country’s best contemporary sculptor’s, he has also had the opportunity to be involved with the construction of monumental works such as the Bali Bombing memorial and the workers memorial in Sydney’s CBD.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My journey in the art world started very young as the son of a cartoonist and animator. Art and creativity was always around me in my father’s (Richard Jones) drawings and paintings, woodwork and leadlight windows. But it really started one day, when I was allowed to play with the molten lead my father used to make fishing sinkers. From that day, I started experimenting with press molds and clay, making my own jewelry and continued to hone my skills with courses in industrial metalwork, making gold chains, boat building, guitar making and ultimately I studied prop making for theatre and film at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. After several years in the industry, I was working on a job making a fiberglass riverbed for the back of Bourke museum and each day for lunch I walked past a place full of sculptures and molds. When the job was done, I walked in and announced I was a sculptor looking for work and was introduced to the world of Fine Art bronze casting. I would be a bronze foundryman for the next 25 years producing literally thousands of sculptures for some of Australia’s finest artists, for galleries, public artworks, monuments, memorials and students alike the whole while refining my craft and producing my own artwork when I could find the time.”
What inspires you?
“I have seen first hand that sculpture has a tremendous healing power and an ability to offer something tactile and tangible that helps bring people together in appreciation and reverence. I see art as a healing tool for both practitioners and viewers and I am inspired to see how far this belief can take me and where it takes my art. I am always inspired seeing a student produce something they take pride in and exceeding what they thought they could achieve.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“My work will last for thousands of years so the importance of their message is not lost on me I always strive to connect with higher human emotions and to inspire people to greatness finding the best in humanity in my works, speaking to eternal themes of human emotions, time, hope, peace and happiness. Hopefully these works will continue to inspire long after my passing and the messages will remain poignant, to future viewers.”
How would you describe your work?
“I want people to feel something when they view my works and hopefully appreciate both the message and the craftsmanship equally. Whilst I set out each piece with a clear intention, I like that there is plenty of ambiguity and room for each persons unique interpretation. I once had a show and a public bronze pour and I emerged after the pour dirty and sweaty in my work clothes to find a lady interested In some of my work and she remarked, ‘It is nothing like you; it is so refined.’ At yet another show a lady said to me (on my work Chronos Gift), ‘I don’t get abstract work, but I can read this and understand what it is about.’ That meant the world to me more than the words of any critic, as if there is anything I want my art to be it is accessible to everyone. My work is highly detailed on one hand whilst on the other I am always stiving to make the most of the form and message with as streamlined form as possible there is a distinction between the abstracts I create and the figurative which is often highly stylised and I try to layer depth into the works so the closer one looks the more they discover.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Working for so many artists over the years, I try not to be to heavily influenced and find my own aesthetic is unlike many of the works I work upon. If there is one artist I would like to emulate it is Bronwyn Oliver - her incredible dedication to form and her prolific output in her short life as well as the heights she reached as a sculptor inspire me and her work is endlessly fascinating both technically and aesthetically. Of the great artists I have worked with, I can’t help but notice it is their boldness and belief in themselves and their process that they all share in common not afraid to take risks and throw away the rule book in the process and this is the other great influence that I would like to bring to my own practice.”
“I want people to feel something when they view my works and hopefully appreciate both the message and the craftsmanship equally.”
What is your creative process like?
“The act of sculpting can be fast and spontaneous in the original forms but my works often involve much detail and complexity and it is not uncommon for ideas to take years swirling around in my head before I begin and then years again before I commit them to bronze and take them to completion. I love working abstract forms as they tap directly into the subconscious and often I find I make choices that only become obvious to me later why I did. I have spent many years making my sculptures in my spare time stealing an hour here and there between working on paying clients work and that has meant I have not been as prolific as I would like but I feel I am on the cusp of a breakthrough with my work and have a good stock of found materials and the ability to make incredible things from parts people throw away and I have mastered my craft to a degree that now after 30 years creating i feel the apprenticeship is finally over. I am always looking to learn and challenge myself and branching out into other mediums is now how I find new challenges and opportunities. I am always starting new works and often have many projects going at once. My bronze sculptures start in plasticene before I take silicone molds to create a wax and then that is encased in a hard ceramic shell that is able to withstand the 1200 degrees of molten bronze that is poured into them. The bronze works are then chased of imperfections before a chemical patina and wax it added to add luster and protect the surface from oxidization.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I see the role of an artist to envisage other ways of being and influence society. I think it is possible to pursue an agenda and push a message without compromising the artistic integrity of a piece. I believe in execution of an artwork and that symbolism and meaning are paramount. Art is also literally the history of the time we are living in and each artwork is a response to the many issues of the day. Casting bronze brings with it another level of historical significance every bronze caster is well aware of what an ancient technique we are using and that the pieces made today will still exist thousands of years in the future unless they are melted down again. I am seeing new technology entering the Artscape every day and just as people proclaimed the death of stone carving in ancient Greece when bronze casting came along and the death of painting upon the invention of the camera I believe Artificial Intelligence, 3D-scanning and printing and other new technologies will all be added to the artists tool box only enriching the rich tapestries of creative endeavours we undertake and they will not be the death of anything.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Of all the works I have done over the years, there are a couple that stand apart. Most recently, I have been making the sculpted elements for the new carriage for King Charles III being made by J W Frecklington the incredible honour and the level of finish has been a delight to be involved in such a prestigious piece there has not been a royal coach made for a king in over 100 years and may well never be another like it. It is certainly a heralding to old world craftsmanship with all the comfort and security required for the modern world. I along with Tanya bartlett sculpted all the flowers of the commonwealth and much scroll work and filigree. It was an exhibition on another level as you might expect and attention to detail was paramount as was the precision. I was involved in the Bali bombing memorial which had a profound effect on me with so many hours grinding away gave me so much time to reflect on the enormity of the events and how in a matter of seconds so many peoples lives were never the same again from such a senseless and violent act. I got to see how the memorial gave many of those effected a place to grieve together and begin to heal. The artwork, Chronos gift, is made from the center of that monument and for me it is a fitting tribute for how precious every moment we share with other people is and how fleeting our time could be. Finally, I had the honour to work on the harbour bridge lights that were a heritage restoration of the lights that adorned the bridge at its opening 100 years earlier.”
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