"I enjoy being able to see pictures in a raw piece of material and then bring it to life. I get satisfaction when others get joy from the work I do"

Exhibits

Gollum Sculpture

Gollum is a fictional character from JRR Tolkien's legendary novel 'Lord of the Rings'.

Though once a hobbit, Gollum's 500 years in possession of the Ring deformed his body and warped his mind. His life was extended far beyond it's natural limits by the effects of possessing the One Ring. His one desire was to poses the Ring that had enslaved him, he pursued it for 76 years after losing it to Bilbo Baggins. Matamata, New Zealand was the host town for the filming of part of the movie trilogy, LORD OF THE RINGS.

The area was perfect for Tolkien's Shire of Middle Earth. So Hobbiton was built there and the town of hobbits was formed.

I attended the 2005 Matamata Symposium, the theme being 'Lord of the Rings'. The piece of Hinuera stone I chose made me feel like I could fit inside it, as I was visualizing this my daughter brought me a picture of Gollum and he was perfect for this piece.

Gollum now stands in Matamata's main street in front of the 'Welcome to Hobbiton' sign.

It is one of the most photographed sculptures in New Zealand.