Ralph & Violet Riegel

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What inspires your art practice?
Where we live we are surrounded by native bush and accordingly we like to work with materials sourced from nature. We also draw inspiration from discarded materials and especially those used in construction and fabrication. We source a lot of this material from scrap yards, farms and building sites, and like to explore how we can successfully integrate these with the naturally occuring materials we harvest.

What materials do you work in?
Wood and iron feature prominently and consistently in our work.

Briefly describe your artwork for NZ Sculpture OnShore 2018.
Heaven’s Gate is a hand made gate crafted from iron and kanuka wood in a manner that combines man made and natural elements. The spinning globe represents the earth and the tip of the gate points towards heaven.

Where are the public most likely to see your artworks outside of NZ Sculpture OnShore?
In the Whangarei area where we have several gates and other farm based works located.