Artist hopes to be people's choice again

Jack Marsden-Mayer won the NZ Sculpture OnShore award in 2012 with his elephant sculpture Kashin. PHOTO/MARK MERADITH

Wanganui artist Jack Marsden-Mayer is off to Auckland with a whale and a penguin in tow, hoping to win the people's choice award at the NZ Sculpture OnShore event in Devonport.

Marsden-Mayer creates his sculptures from driftwood and his emperor penguin piece is a commission for King's College. It was the first time he had made a penguin or whale.

"The whale has taken me a little over a month to construct and I have collected the driftwood along the west coast from Paekakariki to Wanganui," he said.

"It is interesting that I find the bigger pieces as I travel north, the smaller pieces come from the southern part of the coast.

"I paint them with decking-stain oil so they should be weatherproof forever, apart from the screws - and they should last for up to 50 years, according to farmers who use them for fencing and buildings."

Originally from England, Marsden-Mayer had been living in Ruapehu until he moved to Wanganui three months ago.

"I have done a lot of commissions and had exhibitions over that time but it was winning the people's choice award for my Kashin elephant sculpture in 2012 that has really put me on the radar."

NZ Sculpture OnShore is a biennial event held at Historic Fort Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore, with proceeds from each exhibition donated to Women's Refuge. It has raised over $1.34 million since 1994.

Exhibition curator Rob Garrett said in a radio interview that Marsden-Mayer seemed to have "cropped up out of nowhere" to win the award for his elephant sculpture.

The artist said his work was spread around the country and a couple of moa had just been dispatched to Christchurch.

"I don't count the number of pieces I use in a sculpture - I just add pieces until I get the look I'm going for.

"Most of my work is commissions so I have really enjoyed working on the whale and I hope it will earn me the people's choice award again this year."

NZ Sculpture OnShore runs from November 6-16. Marsden-Mayer's work can be viewed at www.animaldriftwoodsculptures.co.nz