Artist gives bridge voice
A LONG-time love of one of Australia’s icons led a Toowoomba woman to create art in its honour.
Jocelyn Moloney, 89, said she was not an artist, but more of an art hobbyist, whose latest work showcases the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Her artist’s book, Romancing the Bridge, will appear in the upcoming sixth Artists’ Books plus Multiples Fair along with about 50 other artists in Brisbane.
Ms Moloney said she had always admired the bridge and thought it had been a wonderful thing created by Dr John Bradfield.
“It is the 85th anniversary of the bridge this year. I just thought I would do an artist’s book for that,” she said.
“What I have always admired about the bridge was that it was a miracle at that time. Times were financially bad and for them to find that money was a wonderful achievement.”
Ms Moloney said she had read six books about the bridge, but wanted to created a book that was a little different.
She became inspired in 2015, when at 87 years old, she climbed the bridge. That made her the oldest living
person to this day to have climbed it.
“I wanted to have hugged the bridge and felt the rivets. I wanted to know the feel of it, of the great construction I had admired all these years,” she said.
Ms Moloney coincidently tracked down the granddaughter of Dr Bradfield’s secretary Kathleen Butler in Toowoomba.
“I went to her and we had a big chat about her grandmother and she kindly
gave me a lot of little treasures, like flags, a report from the Daily Telegraph at the time,” she said.
Ms Moloney describes her artist’s book as giving the bridge as voice. It is a large, 50-page book that is also held together by rivets used to hold the bridge together.
The fair is presented by Grahame Galleries plus Editions at the Queensland College of Art, Grey St, South Bank from July 7 to 9. For more go to grahamegalleries.com.au.