Marulan sculptor Shannon Hobbs has work in SWELL

His sculpture for SWELL is called 'Wesley the Whale'. It is 2.4m high, 2.4m wide, and 5m long.

Mr Hobbs said Wesley the Whale was inspired by the vintage style of art found in Moby Dick novels.

"The curious industrialised whale is a fantasy take on where wildlife may end up," he said.

He has been sculpting in metal since the early 2000s and has progressively covered an array of styles and material choices that includes wood and stone.

Originally a tyre fitter, he started welding steel and blacksmithing in his early 30's.

He is currently enjoying creating larger sculptures, while not straying too far from the fantastical inspired designs that began his journey.

Mr Hobbs is also working on his first large public work for the Local Aboriginal Land Council in Ulladulla NSW.

He received encouragement awards from Sculpture Bermagui and Lakelight Sculpture Jindabyne and attended Sculpture at Hillview 2016.

He said he was "stoked" to be included in SWELL.

"It was surreal to get accepted," he said.

"It is great to be among some of the other big hitter artists, such as David Ball. Getting into the same shows of that calibre is good for me."

"I have been entering various shows for years. I have work at the moment in Sculpture For Clyde 2019 and also in Sculptures at Killalea, at Shellharbour.

"I have a big owl in Sculpture For Clyde as well as a large set of books and musical reeds that move around and make a sound," he said.

"It is great to get my work out into the public."

He moved to Marulan a decade ago.

"We moved here from the Southern Highlands about 10 years ago," he said.

"We wanted to buy and it was cheaper here.

"There are also no close neighbours telling me to shut up at night so I happily work in my garage."

He said he originally started sculpting with metal with his cousin Tobias Bennett, also a well-known sculptor.

"I used to tag along with him to markets and I started making pieces to make pocket money but now it has turned into a full-time job," he said. View his work at www.hoonart77.com