Bronze Bust commission

A beautiful long term commission this year has been sculpting the delightful Laurie. Commissioned by his son in a lovely act of respect, Laurie was shy and bemused by the attention as he sat for me over 5 x 2 hour sessions but we had fun getting to know each other and enjoying the process. After I had sculpted Laurie in oil based clay, I then had the finished bust scanned and 3D printed by Sculpt Studios at a smaller size so we could take molds and make multiple bronze versions in two sizes. Thanks as always to Chalkos Art Foundry for the care and attention to bring this to fruition.

Bronze Trophies

This exciting commission was for the Brisbane Racing Club who wished to have a bronze thoroughbred racehorse head as a trophy for the Queensland Oaks Carnival Race, the richest race in the Brisbane Racing calender. I had no experience with racing or these sorts of horses, so I spent some time at the racetrack drawing and watching the horses in preparation for this sculptural challenge. A lot of the process pics in my sketchbook can be seen here at my virtual sketchbook project. If you click on the flashing white boxes you can see extra hidden audio visuals
https://heyzine.com/flip-book/a0bbda9449.html#page/25

Bronze Sculptures – public art

These bronze sculptures were commissioned by TLCC (The Landscape Company) for Brisbane City Council to be part of George Clayton Park at Manly. I made the orginal sculptures from oil based clay and then made molds which I gave to Chalkos Art Foundry to make wax positives and then convert to bronze for me. As the brief was for discovery elements of a very tactile kind, I had a lot of fun making very textured and touchable sea creatures to be mounted on rocks and totems. I look forward to visiting them installed and get some shots insitu.

Public art discovery elements!

Very happy with the way this little guy turned out…my bronze hermit crab soaking in a warm cup of tea, complete with sea shell biscuits.

A lovely surprise for children to find visiting Paul Conti Park, Hemment as they weave their way thropugh a great new scooter track designed by Brisbane City Council and installed by Naturform Landscaping.

He is beautiful in bronze and will only get better with age as he is carressed by little hands.

Thanks to Chalkos Art Foundry for the casting

Public signage Archerfield Wetlands

In this project, I worked with the Brisbane Sustainability Agency to produce 30 gouache colour illustrations which became part of interpretive signage for the newly opened Archerfield Wetlands. This wetlands is part of the larger The Oxley Creek Transformation project. It is a lovely walk around the wetlands with so many birds to see. In a few hours walking the trail we saw nearly every bird that I had illustrated and a few extra.
photo credit Anne Reardon

Bronze Water dragon sculpture

My latest bronze sculpture has been installed at Shaftesbury Park, Tarragindi. The brief was to make a discovery element for a newly constructed scooter park for Brisbane City Council by Naturform Landscape designers. I thought it would be fun if a bike helmet had been left at the park and had been taken over by a cheeky young native water dragon. Thanks yet again to Chalkoz Art Foundry for their expertise in casting my final sculpture in bronze.
Bronze Water dragon on bike helmet – deb mostert 2022

new public art installed

Little Pied Cormorant watches over the bikeway

The Common Park scooter track is located at 88a Cambridge Drive, Coorparoo. The park includes a playground, skate park, and the Norman Creek Bikeway, as well as additional recreational features that provide a hub of active opportunities for park users. 

I’m grateful to the Brisbane City Council for including bronze sculptures as part of the creative enhancement of these shared spaces

Interpretive signage installed in Hervey Bay

The 32 illustrations I did for the Fraser Coast Council for the Arkarra Wetlands have been installed. This is an ongoing project with other reserves being upgraded by council to engage communities in an informed and coherant visual language. I’m very excited to be a small part of that.

some of the signs installed at Arkarra Wetlands

image credits Jacinta Padgett, Fraser Coast Council

public art – sculptural commissions

Brisbane City Council commissioned me to make ‘discovery’ elements for an interactive playground at Gus Davies Park, Bald Hills. Built by the Landscape Construction Company, this park upgrade has created a wonderful imaginative playground with bikeways and different zones to explore. Turtle, frog and gecko were sculpted in the studio and cast by Chalkos Art Foundry. We hope to engage children on the micro level and alert them to the creatures that share our natural environments.

Sawshell turtle bronze deb mostert 2021
Green and Golden Bell Frog Bronze deb mostert 2021
Gecko on leaf bronze deb mostert 2021

Bronze Portrait commission

I had the lovely privilege to be commissioned to create a bronze bust of an older gentleman, a retired doctor on the Gold Coast. He sat for me for several 3 hour sittings and I worked up the sculpture in oil based clay.

The resultant portrait was then taken to Chalkos Fine Art Foundry and the long process of going to bronze. I was very happy with the results as were the clients.

Public Art

a commission to make an isographic illustration of a map for a fantasy playground at Bradbury Park, Chermside by Brisbane City Council.

I also did a sculpture commission of a Bronze Boobook Owl on a Book as part of the narrative and for children to discover as they explore the Magic Forest.

In addition to this, I created a new ‘Guardian of the Forest’ sculpture which was cast in bronze and mounted over the entry gate to the park.

Private Mural Commission

Bush stone curlews, kookaburras and shorebirds grace the walls of this property in Nelson Street, Ormiston, thanks to the generous actions of the owners who wish to raise awareness of local wildlife and share this with the neighborhood.

With my faithful offsider/daughter Meg, we sprayed and painted over a few days to have these characters emerge.

Bush stone Curlews are one of my favourite birds…
so much personality!
the team
shore birds flee down the fence wall
and take flight

Public Art, Ipswich

‘Cross Cut Kookaburras’ was painted over the weekend of the 7th-9th September as part of the Ipswich Fused Festival. With the support of the festival organisers and Ipswich City Council we have added the presence of a couple of large kookaburras into the River Heart parklands adjacent to the Bremer River.  Thanks to Kate Roberts and Meg Sweeney.

New Public Art

I was recently selected by Brisbane City Council to be involved in Brisbane Canvas 2018.

https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/arts-culture/public-art/street-art/brisbane-canvas

The theme was ‘Optimism’ and I chose the site at Moggill Road, Pinjarra Hills.

‘A baby Tawny Frogmouth perches atop a vintage aluminium teapot. Nothing is more optimistic than a baby bird. The quirky and whimsical combination of birds and what they might collect led me to sit him on one of my collected teapots because it matched his eyes. The teapot in this location, adjacent to the retirement and aged facility, speaks of the familiar and humble aluminium teapot that graced every kitchen from the 40’s to the 70’s. Everyone remembers with fondness the teapot Grandma had.
A larger than life reminder of the local wildlife as well as remind us of the nostalgia of our grandparent’s tea making rituals.’

There is a short video of the process (before the camera battery failed!) here.

William Jolly Bridge Projection

 

 

 

Images-  Damien O’Mara

The William Jolly Bridge will be lit up each evening with artwork projections from the Migratory Birds and Suitcases watercolour works to celebrate the event the End of the Line Festival 1-5th November 2017

‘Deb Mostert’s ongoing interest in themes of collection, memory, and sacredness sees her hunting second hand stores, gift shops and antique centres in search for items that have a past and then presenting them in new stories and images. To celebrate the ‘End of the Line’ festival, Council presents Mostert’s artworks which feature vintage suitcases – a symbol of the travel and migration birds and people take to arrive in Australia.’

This Light Up is organised by Brisbane City Council and curated by CreativeMove.

 

 

new public art work Redlands

I have had the opportunity to paint a large mural for the Redlands Council in conjunction with Creative Move and the Redland Art Gallery. ‘We visit every year’ draws attention to the stories of our migratory shore birds and the precarious nature of their habitat in our bay areas. It also references visitation, holidays and return visits to our beautiful bay areas.

Thanks to Creative Move for giving me this opportunity and for their unwavering support through out the process and to Redlands Council for having the vision for Public Art in their community.

It was a challenge to paint the mural in panels in my studio, then transport them and have them attached to a giant framework to instal on the side of the IGA building in Wellington Point Village. Many people helped make this happen and I am grateful for their support.

Graceville Wunderkammers

My bronze sculptures entitled the Graceville Wunderkammers have been installed as part of a Brisbane City Council Suburban Centre Improvement Project at Honour Avenue, Graceville.

I was commissioned by the Council Urban Planning Dept to collaborate with the local community to create two artworks which reflected the curatorial rationale of ‘Showtime’.  Emerging in the 16th century, the Wunderkammer (cabinet of curiosities) included objects belonging to natural history, geology, social history, religious or historical relics, works of art and antiquities. It was regarded as a microcosm or a theatre of the world, and a theatre of the memory. These cabinets served as a status symbol, provided entertainment, were precursors to museums and receptacles of a people’s history both imagined and real. These Wunderkammers are filled with objects belonging to the social and natural history of the Graceville area and it’s people. It is meant to invoke memories, engage conversation and summon narratives of both past and present. There are stories hidden in each object.

Huge thanks to Chalkos Fine Art Foundry for their expertise and collaboration. Photo credits Carl Warner

 

Graceville Wunderkammer 1 - Deb Mostert 2016 Bronze
Graceville Wunderkammer 1 – Deb Mostert 2016 Bronze

Graceville Wunderkammer 1 - detail Deb Mostert 2016 Bronze

Graceville Wunderkammer detail Deb Mostert 2016 Bronze
Graceville Wunderkammer detail Deb Mostert 2016 Bronze

Graceville Wunderkammer 2 Deb Mostert 2016 Bronze
Graceville Wunderkammer 2 Deb Mostert 2016 Bronze

Public art sculpture

My work continues in collaboration with Chalkoz Art Foundry to produce large scale sculptures for the Brisbane City Council. Fabrication will be finalised in the next few weeks with the installation happening in mid May. It’s been a year in the making and still under wraps but the full story will be told in due course.

20160209_100401

20160209_100219

 

wax positives floating in the tank

 

 

Public Art Commission

The Mater Hospital Springfield through Independant Arts Management have commissioned 12 works for the hospital rooms. An artist in residence project with local school, St Peter’s Lutheran saw us brainstorming ideas about birds and what they might collect, drawing them and then making our own birds from paper and wire.

 

working with grade 4 students at St Peter's Lutheran College at Springfield
working with grade 4 students at St Peter’s Lutheran College at Springfiel

Travel-is-our-life-and-we-love-these-so-much-Bartailed-Godwit-Vintage-Suitcases-2015-46-x-61-cm-watercolour
Travel-is-our-life-and-we-love-these-so-much-Bartailed-Godwit-Vintage-Suitcases-2015-46-x-61-cm-watercolour

'I pick one up when I go on holidays' Rock Hopper Penguin Snow Domes 2015 46 x 61 cm watercolour web
‘I pick one up when I go on holidays’ Rock Hopper Penguin Snow Domes 2015 46 x 61 cm watercolour web