Shepherd sculpture a homage to history

Keeping a watchful eye on his flock, an aging shepherd has taken up a permanent position in Blenheim.

The sculpture of a copper shepherd has been commissioned by the Blenheim Business Association (BBA) to celebrate Marlborough’s wider agricultural history.

Created by Havelock based artist Tony Matthews, the 5-piece artwork appeared in the Forum onThursday. The eye-catching installation has quickly caught the eye of passers-by.

Tony, who is originally from the UK, says he spent seven months creating his latest work, named Last of the Stragglers.

“I was pretty much given free rein with the concept and obviously it had to include sheep given Marlborough’s history.

“It’s how I saw it in my mind’s eye.”

The latest in a series of Marlborough Mile sites in town, the work is part of the pedestrian walking circuit designed to reflect the region’s diverse heritage, history and industry.

Tony moved to Havelock from the North Island with wife Liz nine years ago and made the switch to sculpting then.

He uses copper to create distinctive 3D sculptures and figures which are hammered into shape by hand and sold across the country.

“I love it here in Marlborough, it’s definitely helped me as an artist,” Tony explains. “It’s only since being here that I’ve turned my hand to sculpting.

“It goes right back to when I was a kid, I used to make cats out of clay.”

Watching his latest work arrive in the early hours of Thursday morning was exciting, Tony says.

With each piece weighing between 200 and 300kg after being filled with concrete, a huge truck was needed to transport the pieces to their new home.

He says while he began working with mussel and clam shells, copper is a favourite medium.

“I started using scrap corrugated iron, but my welding skills just weren’t up to that but then I found copper was nice to work with, it has a great patina.

‘It’s also quite unique to me and started to become my thing, a point of difference from other artists.”

The sculptures will change in colour over time as they adapt to the elements.

Tony was at The Forum yesterday putting final details in place. “The lamb has some hollow spots which I want to fill,” he explains.

“The beauty of this style of work is that your average person can relate to it.”

He has already started work on two current commissions and is preparing to show at the Christchurch Sculpture Festival in October.

Another of Tony’s works is currently on display with the Marlborough Art Society at their High Street Gallery in Blenheim as part of their Autumn Members’ Exhibition.