Nick Carpenter
I am a luthier and have been making musical instruments for over 30 years. I grew up in Fremantle, Western Australia, where I played a number of instruments in different bands. I began Wildwood Instruments way back in 1999 making musical instruments and travelling around Australia selling them at music festivals. Eventually my partner and I moved to be in the thriving music metropolis that is Melbourne. There was a Wildwood Instruments shop in the heart of Brunswick for a good many years before we moved to Daylesford, where I now run weekend guitar making courses. My art career started a couple of years ago as a more creative outlet than the quite traditional techniques of guitar making. My art is based around musical instruments and the theme of music, a natural progression from my career thus far. Bringing together the skills of luthier, musician and artist I create a very unique style of art. I am able to tell a story with these works, which was not possible when making instruments solely as a functional tool.
I strive to portray the human connection we have with music and musical instruments, taking them beyond a musical art form into a visual world that surpasses their mere physical appearance.
My arts practice thus far has involved the use of many different kinds of musical instruments and a wide range of mediums and techniques. I have sculptures ranging from 25cm to over 3m tall. As varied as they are, they all have a common theme of music.
There is so much to be said about music and the enormous impact it has had on our culture, all throughout human civilisation.