WENDIE MCCAFFLEY -CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE 

For the past 19 years I have worked in the medium of forged steels, predominantly on ornamental architectural commissions.  

Working within a 1880s industrial blacksmithing workshop, at the Eveleigh Locomotive Rail yards, Sydney, I have had the unusual opportunity of having some pretty serious equipment at my disposal. I utilize machinery that was associated in the past with the forging of parts for steam locomotives- furnaces, forges, power-hammers, guillotines, plate rollers, blacksmith's swages and tongs.  

My work has always exhibited sculptural qualities, but it wasn't until I allowed myself to relinquish the practical ideal that all my work had to be functional that I've been able to have the freedom to make pieces of art on my own terms. Stylistically these works suit the current mood in Modernist architecture, reminiscent of the 'mid-century modern' aesthetic of the 1940s through to the 1970s.   

Composing together irregular geometric forms creates a strong visual effect as the void spaces contrast with the solidity of the steel. By means of 'forging down' the components some areas are in silhouette, then seemingly stretch into a flattened surface. The surfaces acquire an earthy, textural quality during the forging down process. It is this sort of dimensional change that is so alluring about forged steel, it has its own language, symmetry and dynamism. Its strength allows the sculptures to be tall and slender.  

Working within a 1880s industrial blacksmithing workshop at the Eveleigh Locomotive Railway yards I have had the unusual opportunity of having some pretty serious gear at my disposal. I utilize machinery that was associated in the past with the forging of parts for steam Locomotives.  

In the  new series of sculptures the initial conception was to create feature pieces with a retro 60 – 70 s retro feel, to add 'groove' to any space. 

Composing together irregular geometric shapes creates a strong visual effect and by means of certain methods some parts are in silhouette while others have more of a flat surface. These surfaces acquire an earthy textural quality during forging. It is this sort of immediate dimensional change in the steel that is so fascinating about forged steel. When hot it responds to the hand (or power hammer) at the bidding to the imagination.