Michael Sofoulis - Award Winning Wheatbelt Artist
Metal is in my blood. My father was a marine engineer. Whilst he was employed on the State Ships, cattle were transported from the North West to Robbs Jetty, south of Fremantle, to be unloaded. My brother and I would play in the adjoining metals scrapyard until we could board the ship and sail back to the harbour with Dad.
I was a mechanical fitter apprentice at the Midland Railway Workshops, as was my Dad before me. The railway workshops were like working in a museum in many ways. When the Workshops closed, there was an opportunity for former workers to add their names to a memory brick wall, which Dad and I both did.
I have been sculpting since I was twenty-five years old. I will never part with "The Mask", my very first piece. She is a constant reminder of my beginnings as a metal artist.
Playing in scrap yards, doing my apprenticeship in the railways, working and travelling in the Goldfields and the Pilbara for many years have all fed my passion.
My sculptures are stories, all about finding those mental artifacts that have the shape, texture and balance that call to me. Shape is about incorporation into a new piece. Texture has been provided by the influence of the environment and weather over years of exposure. Balance is knowing that "less is more" in my sculptures, like the Outback country I love so much. Fossicking is my instrument to find these artifacts. Then my theme will bind all these facets together.
My Sculptures
We all have a passion. From the age of twenty-five, I have been mastering my craft. And am still learning! Here is a timeline of sculptures that I have created and sold.
PS I am the bloke on the left.
Made With Passion
The East End Gallery page aims to promote and support the works of artists in Western Australia, predominantly from the Wheatbelt.
We believe wholeheartedly in supporting local artists by giving them a venue closer than Perth or larger regional centres to display and sell their works.
We also hope to put Beverley on the map of "places to visit" within two hours from all of metropolitan Perth. We know that Beverley is the best-kept secret in the Wheatbelt.
My Skills
I have forty-five years of experience with MiG welders, oxy-acetylene (torch and grinders) and traditional methods (charcoal forge).
Mild steel is the medium I use most and I understand its nature very well. Mild steel harmonises with a variety of other materials in natural or man-made environments and I believe, as a medium, it is underrated. I continually like to push the boundaries on how this mild steel can be used or presented.
Each sculpture I create from abandoned metal artifacts, are by nature, “one of a kind” and challenge me to find the right balance with shape and form.
My Motivations
My sculptures are the physical manifestations of my artistic purpose.
However, being an artist doesn't not define me as a whole person.
I am Kate's husband.
I am a brother to Darryl and Sandra.
I am Callum and Alex's Step Dad.
I am Father-in-Law to Bronwyn.
I am Grandpa Michael (or Michael Michael!) to Imogen and Violet.
I am a devoted slave to Stella and Lexi (dogs),and Chop (cat).
I am co-owner of the East End Gallery with Kate at 116 Vincent Street, Beverley Western Australia.