Australian
Flora Series
Artist Jenny Rumney has used images of a dugong and a turtle swimming playfully together to present her vision of an idyllic bay lifestyle.
After the design's selection as finalist in a national award scheme for Aussie mementos, Mrs Rumney said recent recognition by tourism authorities for Moreton Bay helped to make up for the many years it had been overlooked.
"Although many people did love and respect the Bay enough to protect much of it in marine park, a lot of the country appears to have just woken up to the environmental treasures," she said.
Left: The Moreton Bay Series design that is a finalist in the Memento Awards.
Mrs Rumney's artwork in sand-cast metal is a finalist in the Memento Awards, which aim to showcase Australian-made products
Memento Australia says the awards help creators of quality products to generate sustainable business by linking them with market opportunities.
Award sponsors include Brisbane City Council, Tourism Queensland, the Australian Made Campaign, Griffith University's Queensland College of the Arts, Creative Industries Skills Council and Arts Queensland.
The polished aluminium tile by Mrs Rumney and the works of other finalists will feature at an award breakfast in Brisbane on September 12.
She said the selection had highlighted her year founding a business, Welcome Tributes, to market her art.
"We have an usual product mix - cast-metal character studies, the tiles and plaques and my husband John's writing and editing services," Mrs Rumney said.
'The marketing opportunities through the memento scheme, if we are selected, would be marvellous."
Background on artist
Mrs Rumney said she had worked as a designer in rug manufacturing after studying fine arts at post-graduate level in Sydney during the 1980s.Her first major work in cast metal had been a sculpture of the Labour Party politician, law reformist and High Court judge Lionel Murphy.
She continued to create character studies that Welcome Tributes now promotes as "special person sculptures" for commissioning by clubs, institutions and families that want to honour their loved ones.
"I realised that I needed to have more affordable and transportable art to have any chance of making a go of it," Mrs Rumney said.
Tile and plaque design
"The result was cast aluminium and bronze feature tiles for integration into masonry and architectural settings on walls and pathways. The giftware market was not originally on my mind but then someone said, 'Why don't you frame them?'
"But I still prefer the option of permanent mounting, for instance in a tile setting in an entry foyer, kitchen splashback or bathroom.
"As well as the Moreton Bay Series, I have been generating custom designs for people with special interests like hobbies and collecting, and I also am looking to give businesses a special feature with their logos or symbols.
"However, getting into the tourist market would be a major breakthrough. I am a little worried about having time to explore all the avenues properly."
Jenny Rumney's contact details are: 07 3409 1275, [email protected] and www.geocities.com/rumneyjenny.
Tile and plaque gallery