Wayne Robbie
Wayne always dabbled in art, with schoolbooks covered in drawings, from primary to secondary school. Children’s murals on bedroom walls were one way Wayne expressed himself away from his trade of plumbing, with many commissions in Geelong and Albury.
Wayne moved into garden sculpture with animals the main focus, single dimensional, {more of a hobby than a serious attempt at art} and sold mainly in Nursery’s. Wayne injured his back in 1997 and reassessed his life. He followed his partner and moved to Broken Hill in May 1998. Wayne discovered, as he called it “the land of corrugated iron” and began sculpting with it straight away, taking a new direction with life size three-dimensional animals.
Wayne’s sculpture has sold to tourists the world over, with many pieces in notable public and private collections. Wayne exhibited and received a High Commendation at Thursday Plantation East Coast Sculpture Show 2000 in Bellina NSW. Wayne started his own Gallery in Broken Hill in 2000 and continued to sell well, but a move to Canberra saw this close in May 2001.Wayne took his “corry” to the countries capital and set up a Studio at Cuppacumbalong Arts and Crafts Centre, Thawa, ACT. His work was well accepted with major pieces on the wall of Iguana Café and Bar, University of Canberra and another in the Director’s Office, Department for Women, Sydney.
Wayne moved back to Broken Hill in January 2003 where he continued to work from his studio and manage Horizon Gallery, Broken Hill. As “life happens”, Wayne saw another move in 2007, to Daylesford, Victoria, He purchased the Pantechnicon Gallery in 2009, and now works from his studio within the Gallery.