Tootgarook sculptor Dan Thornell has always been a hands-on person, so sculpture was the natural choice when he pivoted to art. A boilermaker by trade, Dan is familiar with how to bend metal to his will. He’s always had a head for spatial problem-solving. All of his trade skills and training are assets as a sculptor.
Born in Mornington, Dan has a natural affinity with the peninsula. He’s particularly fond of the coastline along his favourite local beach, Gunnamatta. From the sound of the crashing waves and tumbling rocks to the artful arrangement of seaweed, this wild, rugged shore ignites him. His sculpture, Gunnamatta Morning, captures the colours of the ocean wrought in ribbons of steel.
The Australian landscape is Dan’s greatest source of inspiration whether that’s the ocean, beach, bays, rivers, rainforests, deserts, forests or snow-capped mountains. He feels very connected to the land. He also loves the many moods of the sky and the light it casts.
As children, Dan and his brothers were encouraged to learn by doing. Their father worked as a fitter/turner/toolmaker, but he was also an inventor and a salvage diver, so there were plenty of interesting things for the boys to get their hands on. They grew up at a time when kids were largely left to their own devices (not digital ones). Dan enjoyed exploring the outdoors, engineering dirt roads, and making tunnels for his toy cars.
Dan was always interested in art. He was also curious about other cultures, what those people made and why. When he was eight, his family moved to Mount Tambourine in Queensland. This was a wonderland of new things to discover. He remembers trips into Brisbane to visit the Queensland Art Gallery where he discovered whole new worlds.
In high school Dan learned woodwork and metalwork. His father was also teaching him skills at home. He remembers using his father’s metal lathe at eight. Dan went to TAFE from high school, getting a Certificate IV in Welding and Thermal Cutting to become a qualified welder. He’s been working with metal most of his life. “Inadvertently I’ve been setting myself up to be an artist all along,” he says.
In 2013, Dan moved back to the Mornington Peninsula where he has raised his own family. When he turned 40, he decided to take all the skills he’d learned over the years and head in a new direction as a sculptor. His innate sense of spatial structure, strong metalwork skills and endless curiosity blend to create this new work.
I especially love the tactility of sculpture and how three-dimensional objects change from every angle
“I’ve always loved shapes, curves, colours and textures. I like all kinds of art, but I especially love the tactility of sculpture and how three-dimensional objects change from every angle. When I create a work, I like it to be viewed from all sides,” he says.
Dan started entering art shows and winning prizes. He was ready to set up his new business, Northlander Sculptures. The business name is a nod to his Queensland upbringing and his Scandinavian roots. It’s also a partial anagram of his name.
Dan is a versatile artist who enjoys making all sorts of things. He likes to keep his hands busy. “I do all kinds of creative metal work commissions: signs, sculptures and gates. I can make pretty much anything out of metal,” he says.
He also makes furniture and art objects out of wood. He recently crafted a violin from a solid block of wood and made a side table out of reclaimed timber from a house demolition. Most of his small-scale sculptures stand on blocks of reclaimed wood – a very organic arrangement.
Dan has exhibited in many shows. His work will feature in the Mount Eliza Art and Design Show October 23-25. His sculpture has been exhibited along the Portland Sculpture Walk and the St. Kilda Sculpture Walk. He currently has some small-scale sculptures at Dromana Creative Hub and Gallery and online in Gallery 247. Ten percent of the proceeds of all of his work go to charity. It’s his way of giving back to the community that supports him.
A great source of pride for Dan is his method. “I do what I do using my hands and basic tools. I don’t use laser cutters or anything like that. I’m old school,” he says. Whether he’s making ribbons of steel representing the sea and sky, carving wooden objects or making furniture, Dan has his hands on art.
IG @dan.thornell
W danthornell.com