Island IV

Peter Simmons

I'm an artist that loves the natural world and uses my interactions with it to make my creations in the form of stone and or wooden sculptures as well as illustrations and the use of pyrography (woodburning)

I've always  been interested in art from an early age but over the years I've let life interfere with it. I left the Navy and went to art Newcastlead college of advanced education to do plant and wildlife illustration but after a year I decided I needed a job more than an arts degree. I started dabbling in sculpture at Rodger Mcfarlane's studio in Newcastle at the end of the 90's and stayed the course with just sculpture and didn't pick up my pens and pencils again until 2015 and haven't stopped since. I also acquired a love for Pyrography over the last few years and now I'm retired I'm at it with a vengeance.

Exhibitions and Prizes

March 2000 installed "Snowgums" in Thredbo.
2001 highly recommended  Wyong arts festival.
2001, 2002, 2003 Darling Park sculptors society exhibitions.
2003 Tilligerry art prize 1st prize.
2004 Tilligerry sculpture prize 1st place.
2005 Mattara sculpture people's choice.
2006 Mosman sculpture walk.
2009 Mattara sculpture abstract 1st prize.
2009 Mattara people's choice.
2010 Hunter botanic Gardens  sculpture 2nd place.
2010 installed "Pinnacle" in Hunter botanic Gardens.
2016 Hunter botanic Gardens indoor sculpture 1st prize.
2017 Hunter Valley Grammar sculpture 1st prize.
2019 Sculpture on the Farm.
2020 Sculpture on the Farm.
2022 Sculpture in the vines.
2022 Whale tails exhibition at Nobbys lighthouse.
2022 Above the line exhibition at Nobbys lighthouse.

Achievements

Member of the Sculptors’ Society

• February 2000          Thredbo Sculpture Symposium
• March 2000               ‘Snowgums’ installed in Thredbo Alpine Village
• March 2001               Wyong Shire Festival of Arts (Highly Commended)
• December 2002       Honeysuckle Sculptors’ Exhibition
• January 2003            Tilligerry Environment Art Prize
• June 2003                 Newcastle City West Artwalk Exhibition
• January 2004            Tilligerry Sculpture Prize
• September 2005      Mattara Sculpture People’s Choice Award
• April  2006               Mosman sculpture walk
• October 2009          Mattara sculpture prize abstract
• October 2009          Mattara peoples choice
• June 2010               Hunter region botanic gardens sculpture prize 2^nd place
• August 2010            Install “PINNACLE” Hunter valley botanical gardens
• June 2017               Hunter valley Grammar sculpture prize