Turpentine Construction 2

Will Maguire

Following iron where it leads has illustrated my life for many years.

My current interest in iron is one of collaborating with its lively and eccentric tendencies as a metal deeply entwined within human and non-human worlds. These interests are born out of decades of action as a blacksmith working all over the world, and filtered through the nebulous fields of philosophy and anthropology of which I currently engage.

Through performative process of reading materials as active, craft practices of blacksmithing morph into something much more collaborative where iron shifts from a medium into a subject in itself.

Achievements
2025 - Delivered inaugural Basnet Masterclass and Public Lecture, Hereford Collage of Arts, Herefordshire UK.
2024 - Invited demonstrator for British Artist Blacksmith conference, Herefordshire UK and Ratho Scotland.
- Highly commended for Needle stack (in collaboration with Australian Blacksmiths), Sculpture at Scratchly, Newcastle, NSW
2023 - Winner RUPIO award for Metallurgical Excellence at Sculpture on the Farm, Dungog NSW.
2022 - Featured Artist in Metal design international 2022, published by Hephaistos, Germany.
- Winner of sculpture at the Newcastle Show, NSW (also 2020).
2020 - Bachelor Arts - Philosophy, with distinction, University of Newcastle, Australia.
2018 - ANU artist residency award, Lake Light sculpture, Jindabyne, NSW.
2017 - Artist in Residence award, Sculpture in the Vineyards, Wollombi NSW.
2016 - Invited Master Blacksmith, representing Australia for International Blacksmith event, Ypres, Belgium.
2015 - First prize, Hunter region Botanic Gardens sculpture prize, Heatherbrea, NSW (also in 2012).
2007-12- Journeyman blacksmith, in England, Ireland, Ukraine, France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Japan, USA.
2006 - Qualified tradesman, Blacksmith and Boilermaker, Forgemasters Aust., Kurri Kurri, NSW.
Selected significant Commissions
2025 - De-Centred cubic (Hereford), public sculpture, Hereford Collage of Arts, Hereford, UK.
- Liddell a legacy of light and dark, sculptural seating, Muswellbrook Library forecourt, Muswellbrook, NSW.
2024 - Contrary Man figures, 4m high, Ratho, Scotland.
2023 - Textures of Maitland, 5.5m long steel relief sculpture for Maitland City Council, Maitland, NSW.
- 100 years of service, public sculpture for Rotary on Hunter, Singleton Arts and Culture Centre, Singleton, NSW.
2022 - Cantilever Bench, 6m sculpture bench at Blacksmith festival Melbourne, Footscray wharf, Melbourne, VIC.
2020 - Bend & stretch, public sculpture for new multipurpose sport stadium, Wagga Wagga, NSW.
- Wedge Bench, sculptural public seat, main street Branxton, NSW.
2017 - North Wagga Pontoon, sculptural public seating, North Wagga, NSW.
2016 - WW1 Peace Memorial, invited master smith for international collaborative project, permanently installed in Ypres, Belgium.
- Air Horn Arm pull, figurative public art, Tarcutta, NSW.
2015 - Steel workers Memorial, 5-ton public art commission for ex-BHP site, Newcastle NSW.
Collections
University of Newcastle; AGL Energy; Hereford Collage of Arts (UK); Municipality of Langemark-Poelkapelle (Belgium), British Artist Blacksmith Association (Scotland), City of Maribyrnong VIC, ACT Government, Maitland City Council NSW, Muswellbrook Shire council NSW, City of Wagga Wagga NSW, Singleton Shire Council NSW, Cessnock city council NSW, and numerous private collections in Australia, the internationally.

Selected Exhibitions
2024 - Liddell works, Singleton and Muswellbrook regional galleries, NSW.
- Sculpture in the Vineyards, Wollombi, NSW (also 10 times since 2010)
- Cohesion, Singleton Arts and Culture Centre, NSW.
2023 - National Blacksmith Survey Exhibition, The Glasshouse, Port Maquarie, NSW.
- Sculpture on the Farm, Forsterton, Dungog, NSW (also 2021, 19 & 18).
- Sculptures in the Gardens, Mudgee, NSW (also 2022, 21, & 18).
- Sculpture in the Botanic Garden + Watt space, Newcastle, NSW.
2022 - Brenda Clouten Memorial Art Scholarship exhibition, Maitland regional gallery, NSW.
- Solo - Porous and Quivering, Traffic Jam Galleries, Sydney, NSW.
- Measured Making - #150mm challenge, (touring over 10 venues in UK and USA since 2021) including; Memphis Metal Museum; Appalachian Centre for Craft, USA.
- Metal design toady, Schönwald im Schwarzwald, Germany.
- Cabinet of Curiosities, Aître Saint-Maclou, Rouen, France.
- Nurture, Craft ACT, Canberra, ACT.
2021 - Transformation, Craft ACT, Canberra, ACT.
- North Sydney Art Prize, The Coal Loader, North Sydney, NSW (also 2019 & 15).
2020 - Meta-Formations, (touring show) Houston Centre for Contemporary Craft, Texas; Appalachian Centre for Craft, Tennessee, USA.
- Solo - Leaning in to letting go, Traffic Jam Galleries, Sydney, NSW.
2019 - Swell sculpture festival, Gold coast, QLD.
- Discovery Fe26, The Glass house, Port Macquarie, NSW.
2018 - Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Sydney, NSW.
- Lake Light Sculpture, Jindabyne, NSW.
- Wood, metal and modern materials, Cessnock regional Art Gallery, NSW.
2017 - Solo - Journey of expectations, Traffic Jam Galleries, Sydney, NSW.
2015 - Flow, contemporary blacksmithing and metal art, Footscray community arts centre, Footscray VIC.
2014 - Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi; & Sculpture inside, Bondi, Sydney NSW.
2012 - Solo - Blacksmith reflecting Japan, Manning Regional Gallery, Taree, NSW.