Last week we were fortunate to visit Sue Ryan in her studio near Tomoulin, Far North Queensland. Sue had just finished her sawfish figure. It measures 4.5m long and was comissioned by the Glasgow museum. The frame of the sawfish was made from a chicken wire and bamboo. Its surface is made from ghostnet material that was collected along the coast line of the Gulf of Carpenteria. Sue picks the fibres apart and sews them carefully on the frame. Another artist, Ricardo Idagi from Murray Island, designed the pattern on the dorsal side of the sawfish. The project took seven months to complete.
The week after we visited, the sawfish was placed in a box and is now on its way to Glasgow. I am sure it will be the star of the collection!
You can see more of Sue’s work in an art gallery in Sydney (http://www.martinbrownecontemporary.com/ArtistSRyan.html)
