Smorgasboarder_23_Feb_2016-s

I
first met Neal back in 2012 when he was living in his bus in a vacant
lot amongst derelict buildings on the outskirts of Maroubra. His story
became our feature piece in our Spring edition that same year (Issue 13
- read online at www.smorgasboarder.com.au).
I recently heard Neal had moved south of Sydney down near good friend
Mark Rabbidge late last year. And, true to form, he is already causing quite
a stir in the local community recently showcasing some of his work at
Escape Artfest, a 10 day festival on the South Coast of NSW in the Milton
Ulladulla area celebrating local art, sculpture, music, literature, food and
wine. Thanks to fellow artist and photographer Matt Dampney of Damp
Design, Neal sent us some photographs from the exhibit.
So what exactly are you looking at here? It’s just some of Neal’s weird
and wonderful creations: kneeboards that are the benchmark of their craft,
abstract paintings made from coloured resins, skateboards, skimboards,
high-heeled rollerskates, a range of garments, fashion accessories and
racey costumes made from carbon fiberglass, hell there is even a carbon
bust or two sculpted off one of Neal’s lady friends.
His art may leave some wondering what kinds of things are
going on in this man’s head but one thing is for sure, his work is
amazing. It’s clear his impressive grasp for all things fiberglass
has come from his ever-meddling ways. Never keen on
understanding the actual ins and outs of the various chemical
compounds and materials he used, he was just keen to see
what they did. Throughout his life Neal has messed around
and mixed things up that shouldn’t be mixed and somehow
managed to not blow himself up in the process, ultimately
creating truly unique works of art.
SUMMER 2016 | SMORGASBOARDER 75