From this – a massive piece of bluestone weighing more than 10 tonnes… (Image courtesy of Glenn Morgan via the late David Jones).
By Carol Altmann
One of the many great things about Bluestone Magazine has been our recording of the revival of the Fletcher Jones factory and gardens in Warrnambool (having been part of the campaign to save it in the first place) and the many wonderful stories that have emerged about its past.
One of those wonderful stories is this one: the making of the bluestone sculpture commissioned by the Jones family as a tribute to the late Sir Fletcher, created by the late artist Robert Ulmann.
To this…..the completed Robert Ulmann sculpture that pays tribute to the ethos of the late Sir Fletcher Jones. (Image courtesy of Glenn Morgan via the late David Jones).
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] T[/dropcap]he sculpture, which is now a prominent and much-loved feature of the Pleasant Hill gardens, was hewn from two massive pieces of bluestone selected by Robert from the Panmure quarry.
The two pieces together weighed more than 20 tonne and, over the course of four months from July to October 1977, Robert reduced them to two pieces weighing five tonne.
This meant, of course, hacking away 15 tonnes of solid rock in a make-shift workshop at his Naringal property (later lost in the Ash Wednesday fires).
In our March edition we revealed a rare archive of images from the personal files of David Jones, son of Sir Fletcher, who gave them to local artist Glenn Morgan eight years ago for use as inspiration in his quirky works.
Within these more than 100 images are those capturing the making of the Ulmann sculpture and most likely taken by the Ulmann family (see our slideshow a little further on in this story).
Putting his back into it: the late artist Robert Ulmann gets stuck into the bluestone with a jack hammer at his Naringal property, later lost in the Ash Wednesday fires. (Image courtesy of Glenn Morgan via the late David Jones).
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] S[/dropcap]uch was the excitement around the commissioning of the sculpture – which came just a few months after Sir Fletcher’s death in February 1977 – a memo and photographs were sent around all of the Fletcher Jones factories and shops to keep staff updated.
The finished sculpture may look like a hand holding a sewing needle, which fits with the Fletcher Jones story, but in fact it represents a germinating seed.
Robert Ulmann’s preliminary sketches for the sculpture that represents a germinating seed. (Image courtesy of Glenn Morgan via the late David Jones).
The plaque next to the sculpture explains more:
“Viewed from the ends, the form suggests the shape of a seed – the germination of an idea and the inspired determination to develop it.”
The three-metre long “needle” points to limitless potential.
“The horizontal lines of the straight stone suggest infinite potential for exploration and expansion of the initial ideals,” the plaque reads.
The sculpture will be 40 years old next year and stands as solid and true (and as popular with climbing kids) as it did on the day it was unveiled while a new chapter of the Fletcher Jones factory unfolds around it.
Watch our one-minute slideshow of the sculpture being created below:
The late Robert Ulmann was one of Warrnambool’s best known artists – and one of the city’s great characters – after making the south-west his home in 1969. Image: Visit Warrnambool.
[dropcap style=”color: #abccab;”] O[/dropcap]ur campaign to restore the Robert Ulmann whale mural in Warrnambool has provided an opportunity to remember one of south-west Victoria’s most prolific artists, who died 15 years ago this November.
Despite Robert’s enormous contribution to the local art scene as a painter and sculptor during the 30 years that he lived in and around Warrnambool, it is quite difficult to find any formal, public recognition of his work, beyond that which he created himself.
This includes his studio and gallery overlooking the ocean on Hopkins Point Road, Warrnambool, which is still managed by his wife, Helen and daughter Justine, and was built after their Naringal property (and Robert’s studio) was completely destroyed in the devastating Ash Wednesday fires of 1983.
It also includes Robert’s contribution to Warrnambool’s public artworks, which is arguably greater than any other single artist.
There are four Ulmann sculptures dotted in high-profile locations around Warrnambool and two privately commissioned murals that are also in very public spaces, but a search of the Warrnambool Art Gallery website reveals very little about the man or his work.
As an aside, do you know where to find the Ulmann sculptures and murals in Warrnambool?
[learn_more caption=”Click here to find an Ulmann work:”] 1. Fletcher Jones Gardens, basalt sculpture, Memorial to Sir David Fletcher Jones.
2. Warrnambool breakwater, basalt sculpture, The Breakwater Centenary Sculpture.
3. Flagstaff Hill, lake side, The Lady in the Wind, Mt Gambier stone.
4. Warrnambool Art Gallery, exterior, The Australian Fur Seal, basalt sculpture
5. Bojangles Restaurant, Warrnambool, mural
6. Flaxman St milk bar, Warrnambool, mural [/learn_more]
The Breakwater Centenary Sculpture, Warrnambool, created by Ulmann in 1990.
[dropcap style=”color: #abccab;”] R [/dropcap]obert, who was born in Switzerland, was a larger-than-life character who created an impression on all those he met, even if it was one of slight terror at the sight of what has been described as his “fierce” beard which would bob up and down during his highly animated way of talking.
His arrival in south-west Victoria in 1969 made the local news at the time and Warrnambool historian, Jenny Fawcett, has kept a copy of the clipping from The Warrnambool Standard in which it was reported that “an interesting personality” was visiting the district with his locally born wife, Helen (Goldstraw).
Robert, it said, “has had an adventurous life, painting and drawing his way through 21 countries,” that included Canada, where he first met Helen, who was working as a school teacher at Coppermine in the Canadian Arctic. It was here that Robert worked closely with the Canadian first peoples, the Inuit.
The Ulmann’s spent two years criss-crossing North and South America and then wended their way down through the Pacific Islands before finally reaching Australia. They settled in Naringal in 1972, having first spent a couple of years working in indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.
With all of that experience, and all of that adventure, no wonder Warrnambool – at times – would have struggled to contain a personality as large and dynamic as Robert’s, but he came to call the seaside town his home.
The basalt “Memorial to Sir David Fletcher Jones”, created by Ulmann in 1978 and part of the Fletcher Jones Gardens in Warrnambool.
[dropcap style=”color: #abccab;”] A [/dropcap]uthor Penny Olsen dedicated her 2001 book, Feather and Brush: Three Centuries of Australia Bird Art (2001), to Robert Ulmann, who passed away during its production. In it, she describes how Robert worked “from nature, fast and with gusto”.
Robert loved to capture the energy of both animals and people as he saw them in the moment, not after the fact. It was not unusual to be talking to Robert and find that, halfway through a conversation, he would start sketching a portrait of you.
It was Robert’s passion for Australian wildlife, however, that won the hearts of so many of his followers.
He not only painted, sketched and photographed the beautiful creatures around him, he often invited them into his home which became a refuge for homeless and abandoned birds, mammals and marsupials.
In 1980, The Age newspaper ran a page 3 story about the Ulmann’s being the first people in Australia – and most likely the world – to hand-raise a baby echidna that developed a fondness for crawling up Robert’s trouser leg.
When asked why he loved to work on Australian animals, Robert told the reporter in typical style:
“You know why? They’re bloody hard to get hold of, specially the marsupials. They’re all nocturnal. That’s what makes the challenge…and people love furry things – specially the ladies.”
Robert died suddenly at the age of 71 on November 1, 1999.
A portion of the colourful – and cheeky – Mr Bojangles murals in the Bojangles restaurant, Warrnambool, painted by Ulmann in the 1980s.
[box type=”bio”] The Robert Ulmann studio is at 440 Hopkins Point Rd, Warrnambool ph: 03 5565 1444 or email: eubalena@westvic.com.au. Free entry.[/box]
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[dropcap style=”color: #a5cecd;”]B[/dropcap]ricklayer Barry Knowles is the sort of person who is often described as “salt of the earth” and he very much lives up to this reputation.
The Warrnambool tradie – who was born in Merrivale – comes from a proud working class background where people were not afraid to give each other a hand, and where he learnt early that hard work was the only way to get ahead: no matter what your trade or profession.
Barry was recommended to us as somebody who would be prepared to help out with our project to restore the Robert Ulmann whale mural on the corner of Flaxman and Nicholson streets, even though we were relying on community funds to pay for the project and, therefore, had a limited budget.
As soon as we spoke to Barry, we knew we had the right person. He came down to the site, declared that it was something he could definitely help with, and that he would be proud to be involved so that when his grandkids walked past “they would know that I helped fix it”.
Barry’s skills will be used to repair the cracks and chips in the wall and remove or replace the metal fixtures that have rusted in the sea air.
Even though Barry is an absolute dyed-in-the-wool Collingwood supporter – a fact we can overlook for the moment (!) – he is very much our Quiet Hero for showing such enthusiasm and generosity toward the whale community project.
When we convinced Barry to be in this photo, he thought it was to help promote the project – and it is – but it is also a way for us to say thankyou, Barry.
[box] Barry will receive a coffee and cake voucher from Lozzar’s Lounge Cafe, Warrnambool. Thankyou, Lozzar’s, for supporting our quiet heroes.[/box]
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