"THIS IS MY STORY"
Like many of us, I was happily cruising through life completely unaware of the turn my life was about to take. It is only due to my implicit faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit that things have taken a turn for the better despite a life changing event that nearly destroyed me.
I am confident that my talent to design and manufacture art from wood / poly-carbonate / metal and other recyclable materials will not only meet your expectations, but will also help spread the Word of God through the inspirational messages attached to each artwork.
On examining the past, it may be of interest to know that my interest in 'whittling' started nearly 50 years ago as a young boy, when I carved the three articles pictured below using simple tools and a lot of TLC. Today! these three art pieces represent my humble beginnings that began in the early 1970's.
I have always been passionate about recycling & will continue to do my bit to reduce my foot-print on this precious planet.
As of today, my range of HAND-MADE devotional Artworks, special order Mementos and Household gifts is not only growing in variety, but is a testimony of the inspiration from the Holy Spirit, which I know you will see manifested in all the Artworks I have made thus far.
The exciting thing now, is that, you have the opportunity of becoming a part of 'My Story' by procuring an Artwork and becoming a proud owner or giver of a truly inspired gift designed and made right here at home in Australia.
On a joyous note, I have had 3 feel good acquaintances that I would like to share with you and they are:
After finishing school 40 years ago, I met a school mate of mine (Nitin Tandon) during a chance meeting in Bandra (India) 30 years ago when he brought to my attention the Red Indian faces that I used to carve from left-over chalk pieces for him. Recently (Feb 2016).... 36 years after finishing school, another old friend (Helena) contacted me to say she remembered the chalk carvings I used to do in school. And now (Sept 2019), 40 years since leaving school, another class mate (Neil Mone - Brisbane) reminded me of my chalk carvings from school days. While these were insignificant pass times for me, it obviously left lasting impressions on many. I now can't help but cherish these three 'feel good' memories, but most importantly thank GOD for the abundant blessings bestowed on me and my family to date.
Now, as early as Jan 2020, I had the privilege of meeting two of my many classmates (Nitin and Neil) during our 40 year school re-union in India, which cemented our childhood bond and also gave me the opportunity to design, create and make the Memento for our school as a legacy to be hung in the fully re-furbished Science Laboratory that the Class of 1980 boyz made possible.
<Feel free to click on the images below for a synopsis of their origins>
This was probably my very first attempt at carving a large Red Indian face from a discarded piece of Bessa Block at the age of 8 or 9 ie. in the early 1970s. The rings used as earings are from my sisters discarded chain belt as I have always loved to recycle materials :)
This is me now, 42 years after having tried my hand at whitling in the early 1970's. A school mate (NT) once reminded me during a chance meeting in Bandra (30yrs after leaving school) that I used to carve Red Indian faces from left over chalk and give him. THAT was a 'Feel-good' moment I will always treasure. Thanks to the tremendous support from my dearest family members and friends and the church, I am now able to use my talents to spread the word of God!
Don't ask me who this image was supposed to represent as I carved it nearly 40 yrs ago! :)
It was nearly 40 years ago when I first used "PIPA" (abbreviation of my two names) to mark my identity. Am very proud of my humble beginnings!
I can only guess that the idea of carving a Totem Pole originated from the Phantom comics that I loved reading as a child. This is probably my first attempt at whitling a piece of left over timber from furniture being made in our family home.
This shape probably resembles the cave in Phantom comics that obviously had an impact on my dream-time as a child.