CARELESS NAVIGATOR

This is well over-due

I first met Campbell of Watango Productions about four years ago just before the launch of of the CN site. In fact he was one of the first interviews l did. Unfortunately what l put together was not up to scratch and didn’t make the cut.

It has taken awhile for me work out why…it sure as hell wasn’t Campbell’s fault. Campbell is more than a talented carver and that’s why l was initially there to interview him, he is also a massive Tiki collector. I think l was seriously just overwhelmed by his collection at the time.

Now it’s easy to put all the bits together. The reason his carvings are as good as they are is that he really gets Polynesian Pop because he obsessively collects the stuff. It’s a mixture of his talent, skill and his eye for Tiki.

So this week l’m back with Campbell checkin’ out his new work space…a small tropical oasis in Melbourne…yeah that’s a fire in the photo’s…it’s bloody cold here.

It been ten years since Campbell first found a small Ccco Joes Tiki in a thrift store and thought “l can carve this but bigger”. Since then his carvings have been in several shows, including Kustom Island, and Pagan Pleasures – A Night of Tiki at Melbourne’s Outre Gallery.

These days the majority of his work is commissions. Campbell is up for anything domestic or commercial and always uses reclaimed timber.

 

If you want to contact Campbell at Watango Production you can email him at watangoproductions@gmail.com .

 

Check out the photo’s of his work and collection.

 

Cheers CN

CN, July 7th, 2011