Shepparton cow sculptures: Meet Tank, the artist behind the fibreglass works
DOZENS of weird and wonderful cows have popped up across a northern Victorian town and none of them moo. Where did they come from? Meet Tank.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SHEPPARTON artist Tank painted his first cow 15 years ago. Not every artist can lay claim to such an achievement but for Tank, 40, his fibreglass cow sculptures are like a canvas for him to paint a range of images.
His cows are all over greater Shepparton, which he has called home for 20 years.
“As an artist, there is a lot more opportunity up here, which would surprise a lot of people because most artists flock to the capital cities,” Tank says.
“But the country can be starved for art. I get lots of work.”
He was initially commissioned to paint a cow to launch a project in Shepparton but it was such a success that he painted more and more. He says he has now painted about 100 cows.
“I really enjoy working on them — they make me laugh in lots of different ways,” he says.
“Even though I’m a bit immune to them now after all these years, I still come up with ideas and also get a lot of suggestions through my website and the community.
“If I had to choose, I really love my hot dog cow. It has to be seen to be believed.”
Some of his designs have included a spider cow, a bat cow or a cow decorated in cartoon characters.
He is also fond of his Renaissance series, which features works by Leonardo da Vinci, such as Mona Lisa, and Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam.
“I’m not sure where, or if, the cows will end,” he says. “First and foremost, I love being an oil painter. I used to think I had to choose a specialty and do it well but in the end I realised it’s all the same so I just do whatever I like and be happy about it.”
He is presently working on a large commission where he is turning Dethridge wheels into gigantic flower sculptures. Dethridge wheels were used in irrigation in the district until 2010 when they were switched for a solar-powered system. As a qualified welder, he has soldered the wheels and is creating nine 5m-tall flower sculptures.
“John Dethridge was instrumental to making Shepparton and the whole fruit bowl district what
it is today because he set out all of the irrigation channels in this region,” he says.
“My flowers are a tribute to him and will be on the roadside of the highway. I’m working with VicRoads and the local council on the project.”
There is nothing elitist about his approach and maybe that is why Shepparton welcomed him with open arms when he suddenly decided, at the age of 19, that he wanted to pursue his love for art.
He was working at Ford in Melbourne when he decided to return to art school. He had already started four different apprenticeships, not knowing that welding, in particular, would later become a key part of his art, and felt unsettled.
Art was the one subject he loved at school.
“I always loved it but just rejected art after school, moved into the mainstream and lost track of it until I realised it was really what I wanted to do,” he says.
“Mum is a really talented painter, even though she wouldn’t admit it, so she was completely supportive of my decision to pursue it as a career.”
While searching for a TAFE college to complete his training he saw there was one in Shepparton so he didn’t hesitate in applying.
“I already knew Shepparton so well from earlier trips, so I came back up,” he says.
“I used to walk to school and felt very welcome. Now, I still love the lifestyle. I live five minutes out of Shepparton with my partner on our 80ha farm and I can’t see one single house. Kangaroos run through the farm every day and I can yell murder with no one caring.
“I’m often up all night welding and grinding but there’s no one to complain about the noise. When I feel like it, I can just enjoy the serenity.”
He was born in Shepparton but has lived in various cities, including Perth and Melbourne, as
well as different country towns around Victoria.
He still visits Melbourne regularly because he has city clients but happily calls Shepparton home.
His partner, Carla, is an academic, which works perfectly for them, he says, believing the adage that opposites attract.
“I like to be in Melbourne drinking coffee with friends and then go back to the country to recline.
“Melbourne is really like my social life while Shepparton is my home but I need a balance.
“I love all things creative but if I paint too much it feels like I’m in an office.”