Elli Schlunke

I have lived near Kenilworth most of my adult life. Since the early 1990s I’ve concentrated on sculpture but never stopped painting and designing. My studio overlooks the Mary River and a wonderful stand of bunya pines. I have done many commissions, including a collaborative project for the Maroochy Shire Council, which took me to China to co-create “Sisters by Choice,” a monumental bronze swan and egret for their sister city, Xiamen, and a second version now nearby in Alexandra Headlands.

In 2015 for “Sculpture on the Edge,” my woolly mammoth, “Mammuthus Tjuk-Penh”, won both a special prize for innovative use of materials, and the People’s Choice Award. At the the previous SOTE, the manager at Spicers Tamarind bought my piece, “Pianostring Jellyfish.” My “Starey Hairry Coo” won the People’s Choice in SOTE 2017, and last year my “The Mould – Generic Human” won the Local Artists’ Award.

I now mainly use recycled and/or industrial/junk materials rather than bronze.

I’ve also worked at the Woodford Folk Festival for about 30 years, doing signage (including a free-standing sculptural sign a metre high,) sculptural installations, mapping and other graphics. I am honoured to be the person who names all the roads there.