Tesselaar Sculpture among the tulips 2008

After bringing home a Gold Medal from the Chelsea Flower Show in the UK earlier this year, Timothea Jewell and Christo Vassallo, owners and designers at Lump Sculpture Studio, returned to home to Melbourne eager to begin work on their latest designs. With a view to delivering a brand new range in time for the warmer months ahead, Jewell and Vassallo worked tirelessly to create a series of sculptures that incorporated some of their most popular designs, while still managing to take their work in a fresh, new direction for the summer of 2008-09.

As testament to the success of these unique designs, both Jewell and Vassallo were selected to enter their original sculptures in ‘The Sculpture among the Tulips’ exhibition which was presented by the Tesselaar Tulip Farm and the Association of Sculptors of Victoria (ASV). The ‘Eggular Sculpture’ was designed by Vassallo and hand cut and welded from Corten Steel. It stands a striking 2.4 metres high and, as the name suggests, is shaped like an egg. Vassallo’s describes this piece as his way of representing the notion of hope for the future. Often in uncertain times artists seek to remind us that true beauty can be found in the simplest human needs: love, kindness and hope. In recognition of his achievement Vassallo was awarded a High Commendation for ‘Eggular’ by renowned sculptor Ernst Fries of the ASV.

Also displayed against the magnificent floral backdrop at Tesselaar’s Exhibition was Jewell’s innovative sculpture, ‘The Pendant’. This wonderfully intricate piece is crafted from Corten Steel and stands 1.9 metres high on a recycled timber pier. Although Vassallo and Jewell have combined their creative talents at the helm of Lump Sculpture Studio for many years; the two sculptures displayed in the Tesselaar Exhibition are strikingly different. While both artists work in Corten Steel, their respective training and artistic influences are wildly divergent. It is this difference perhaps that allows Lump Sculpture Studios to create notable and enduring pieces, season after season.