The Back Shed Gallery in Woodend is the creation of puppet artist and woodworker Steve Scott, featuring nature-focused handmade wood, steel, and mixed media pieces.
Scott said he started his working life as a commercial artist, moving into puppetry and then working as a puppeteer for about 35 years.
“Working with timber, I just sort of want to bring out the best of what that particular piece of wood has to offer,” Scott said.
“It’s quite an eclectic mix of what I do – some [works are] practical objects, [others are] pure art.”
Scott said a lot of his work is nature-focused, and many pieces have taken inspiration from the local Macedon Ranges’ environment.
“The carvings of cockatoos within a little nest [on] a branch, wombat and kangaroo jigsaw puzzles, and trees – I’m good at trees!” he said.
“I also … add an element of humour to my designs.”
With the majority of the pieces designed by Scott, there are also some that involved collaboration with a Ukrainian artist and others created by a woodworker who has used over a thousand-years-old cured pine timber.
All artworks in the gallery are available for purchase.
The Back Shed Gallery is open 10am–5pm from Tuesday to Sunday at 33 Urquhart Street, Woodend.
Oscar Parry
