Amanzimtoti artist does wonders with driftwood
One of his life-sized horse sculptures currently reside with Princess Charlene in Monaco.
Usually in the news for winning prestigious national cycling races like the Cape Argus, Amanzimtoti’s Bryan Cusack is world-renown for creating the most amazing driftwood sculptures.
Growing up in Ireland his passion was sketching and sculpting the horses that were bred on a nearby stud farm. This artistic passion was inherited from his grandmother, a well-known Irish poet and lover of all things beautiful, simple and artistic.
He has nurtured his passion and mastered his skill, and uses them today to create stunning pieces of art from driftwood gathered along the Wild Coast of South Africa. He spent years working in the film industry in Europe, Asia, and Africa as an artist, using different mediums for his work.
After leaving the industry to pursue his sculpting passion, he settled on driftwood quite by accident. He was involved on a project on the Wild Coast when he was approached by locals seeking work. Seeing the driftwood lying unused on the beaches and being inspired to do something with it and assist them in the process, he paid them to gather it for his use. He then used it to make some pieces of art for the project he was busy with.
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He had spent years working with wood, but despite this his first driftwood sculpture was a small snail, which he gave to his partner Natasha, and she still keeps it to this day. The second piece he made for her was a small foal. It was seen by one of her clients and ended up being purchased. Soon he was approached by other people who requested pieces.
After sending a piece to the Midlands that ended up winning a contest, the first art gallery approached him to supply them, something he still does today, over 12 years later. He supplies three galleries in SA – Zulu Lulu Gallery in the midlands, Hout Bay Gallery in Cape Town and Kim Sacks Gallery in Gauteng.
The opportunity he saw to assist the local community by getting them involved in gathering the driftwood is still an ongoing source of income for them and he purchases a truckload from them every two months.
His pieces cross a broad spectrum and include birds, wildlife, horses and human figures on a grand scale. They can range in size from quite tiny to over seven metres tall. A lot of his creations are non-commissioned pieces that he releases for sale from his workshop and studio.
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“A lot of my pieces go overseas – most of the time I don’t know where they go. I started sculpting animals and birds and then moved on to human figures. I have tried other mediums and even other wood, but I prefer driftwood. It is a powerful medium. Lifesize doesn’t do justice to the power of the wood. That’s why I started doing larger than life pieces.”
Most of his time is spent doing pieces that are commissioned by private individuals. The process starts with Bryan doing a sketch of the piece, which he sends to the client. If they approve it, the arduous task of selecting the right pieces of wood and assembling them begins.
He prefers to not cut the wood, but rather search through the pile for the perfect piece to fit. “I saw a piece of wood that looked like an ostrich’s toe and ended up sculpturing an ostrich. The wood dictates how you can build.”
The larger pieces usually have a large block base and a steel rod through the centre for stability. One of his life-sized horse sculptures currently reside with Princess Charlene in Monaco, while another is on display in Apple’s Gauteng headquarters.
His lockdown period was spent doing pieces that he wanted to do for his own pleasure. “I decided to leave my commissioned work and instead did stuff I normally wouldn’t do.” These include a preying mantis, vulture, pelicans, and a series of cheetahs.
Bryan regularly sculpts pieces to assist various charities and organisations. His driftwood ‘Sharkie’ was auctioned by members of The Natal Sharks for a worthy cause during the Durban July. He has donated profits from the sale of a black rhino purchased by Thanda Private Reserve to assist Project Rhino KZN. Most recently he submitted a ‘Wattled Crane and Chick’ sculpture to assist with fundraising for their cause.
He has had several local exhibitions and was a guest exhibitor at Decorex Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg. “A large piece can take me eight days if I’m in the zone. I did a piece I called The Scream, which was for the Decorex Show in Cape Town, in six days. The black rhino, took me three months to finish.
Over the years I have learnt when to stop investing in a piece. I don’t force it – forced art is bad art. I collect art myself, but I don’t chase names. If I like it and it appeals to me, it’s art.”
To view more of his work, visit www.bryancusack.com.
