A MINNAMURRA man is enjoying a successful career change by pursuing his passion for woodcarving.
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Sculptor Ian Bell supplies national and overseas galleries with his work.
Last September, the 50-year-old left his long-running career in fitting to practise woodcarving full-time.
“This was just a hobby for me until last year, having left my full-time occupation in the fitting trade to pursue my passion,” he said.
“If you're into the arts, it’s hard to make a living off it straight away unless you’re really gifted and lucky.
“Most are like me and pay off the big bills early in life, and then pursue the goals later.”
Bell said he hadn’t made the career shift until he was established enough in the industry to make a living from his passion.
“I’ve been woodcarving for about 20 years, and it takes 12-13 years to get good enough… To get a foot in the door and make some money,” he said.
“It’s a creative outlet. Some people like to paint; everyone’s got their thing they love to do.
“I don’t do any wood turning any more; it’s all free-form, hand-carved stuff.”
The 2016 Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition is taking place from May 1 to June 12.
Bell has entered a piece in the exhibition.
The exhibition showcases contemporary sculptural works in the shop windows and on the sidewalks of Toorak Road, Toorak Village in Melbourne.
This is the 15th year of the exhibition, whereby 99 artists have displayed their sculptures in Toorak Village shop windows, with large sculptures bolted to the sidewalks of Toorak Road.
Bell described the piece he entered in the exhibition.
“The whale tail sculpture is approximately 500mm high and made from locally sourced coastal Banksia which had become available after some wind storms we had a couple of years ago,” he said.
“The pattern on the surface is hand-carved, and from start to finish the piece took around 40 hours to finish.”