Artist delighted to be waste deep in bull
A LOCAL artist wants people to know that his latest work is quite literally ‘a big load of bull’ and he’s celebrating the fact.
Lucas Dew (24) from Dyke has turned waste recovered from the Forres dump into a striking work of art.
Moray Waste Busters (MWB) asked him to create his latest masterpiece using materials sourced from the Waterford Recycling Centre. The result can only be described as a load of bull - a giant sculpture which can currently be viewed at the Waterford site.
“Our ethos is one person’s rubbish is another’s treasure,” said MWB’s Phil Mills. “Along with many of our customers, we are very impressed with what Lucas has achieved.”
Phil came up with the idea for a sculpture after years of selling materials from his site to artists for their works. He is encouraging other local artists to follow Luke’s example over the next year and hopes to organise an exhibition of their work.
“It will be a good way of promoting what they do and what we do,” he said. “I saw one of Lucas’ sculptures in the summer so I invited him down to our site and offered him free materials. I wanted the sculpture to be fun and to make people smile - It’s right infront of our office now and we’ve had a positive reaction from everyone that’s seen it.”
Lucas used a variety of items to form his latest work including a garage door, a trampoline frame, bike parts, a CD rack, a plough and all sorts of other mechanical “bits ‘n’ bobs” from the recycling site.
“He did a fantastic job for us,” said Phil. “It was a leap of faith on my part but it couldn’t have turned out better. The bull is an imposing piece and we’ll be keeping it here until it sells for £1500.
Lucas’ business ‘Something From Nothing’ has been operating from his cottage for just under three years. He started it following a motorcycle accident when he bought a camper van, a welder and some scrap. His Iron Giant piece at the Highland Hospice and Tree sculpture at The Nicholson Building wowed art lovers in Forres on Culture Day earlier this year. As a result, Wastebusters offered him the chance to use any materials he wanted to make something new.
“After some creator’s block I remembered a small sculpture of a bull I’d made as a Christmas present for my Dad years ago,” he said. “So I started with a trampoline frame and went from there, working on a much bigger version solidly for around three weeks.
“I love the end result - the bull’s great!” he added. It’s not for everyone, some think it should be painted but I’m happy with it the way it is. It’s been made to highlight the fact that its parts are recycled.”
Lucas plans to build a rocket or spaceship in the near future.
“I’m open to ideas from anyone that wants something made,” he said. “Commissions are great, otherwise I tend to make anything that pops into my head from animals to robots!”
For the past eight years all kinds of household goods, from aquariums to Zed Beds, have been donated for refuse at Waterford. As a result, more than 447,000 items weighing over 700 tonnes have been diverted from landfill.
“So many wonderful and interesting items,” said owner Phil. “Recently we’ve had western saddles, pianos, violins and we’re getting a horse box in the New Year!”
Public support for the social enterprise has made a real difference in reducing the amount of landfill originating from the area. The MWB staff and volunteers wish to extended their thanks to the people of Moray for their support.
“We provide work placements within the community and affordable goods,” added Phil. “The goods are for sale at a reasonable price - as low as we can go while keeping the place going. The idea is that everyone wins and the bottom line is the stuff doesn’t get sent to landfill.”
See www.moraywastebusters.org for more information. See more of Lucas’ work or contact him through Facebook on his page at SFN Lucas Dew.