Jo Wooler is a familiar fixture at boat shows and exhibitions around the world, but her work speaks loudest. Working with razor-sharp stainless steel, Jo wrestles superlative, fluid forms from this toughest of material. Jeni Bone
canvas, allowing her to exact from the the stain-
less steel a range of colours similar to the rain-
bow-range of the iridescent New Zealand Paua
Shell. “Combined with the lustre of the stainless
steel, these exquisite creatures are brought to life
as if you’re in the water with them.”
Jo continues, animated as only an artist can be:
“The dynamic colours and textures of the stain-
less steel I use for my ‘Sensational Sailing’ pieces
instils feelings of elation and the thrill of the chase,
as if you’re right there with them in the race.”
Fish of all species, dugongs, turtles, every type of
boat, plaques and abstract work all come to life
under Jo’s steady, sturdy (and sometimes bleedy)
hands, but best of all, she favours the ovoid, or-
ganic, elliptical, exquisite form of the turtle.
“I love my turtles. They all have their own unique
personality through the individual process of
creating each one.”
Jo has a series of triumphs to add to her accolades
over the past few years, such as her debut solo
exhibition ‘Out of the Blue’ in Amsterdam in 2007,
exhibiting in New York at the Affordable Art Fair
New York, being ‘discovered’ by New York art
collector, Dorothy Senerchia, and the acceptance
of her ‘Lion Fish’ for the 41st Salon de la Marine
at the National Maritime Museum in Paris France
in 2009.
“I was the only foreign artist selected amongst 110
French artists out of 450 submissions. Also in that
year I placed my work with the beautiful Majlis
Gallery in Dubai.”
In New York, where Jo was captivated by the
metropolis environment, she met art connoisseur,
Dorothy Senerchia, who added Jo’s Lion Fish and
Angel Fish to her extensive collection. Says Doro-
thy: “Meeting Jo Wooler at the AAF in Manhattan
was wonderfully inspiring. Aside from being a bril-
liant artist, she is an extraordinary human being.
I absolutely love her Lion Fish and her Angel Fish
which illuminate my New York apartment. I can
imagine how stunning her sculptures would be in
so many of the world’s superyachts.”
In the year ahead, Jo says she’s looking forward to
taking her craft further afield. As well as showings
on the east-coast of Australia with the Mojo-
creations Floating Gallery, Jo will have a showing
onboard this unique vessel – made by Drew – in
the tropical paradise of New Caledonia in the
next 12 months.
“My work was on show at Sanctuary Cove, both
at the boat show and during their Art Festival.
It was chosen for display onboard Hampton
Yachts’ new Endurance 750 launched at this year’s
Sydney International Boat Show, and I am looking
forward to appearing at the Monaco Yacht Show
in September.”
The US boating public and art lovers will have
a chance to experience Jo’s exceptional art, at
the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in
October.
“Then in April 2011, I have a solo exhibition of my
work in Japan.”
The whirl of travel and exhibitions must take
back seat to Jo’s first focus – creating sculptures in
stainless steel.
“I was inspired by New York, the city that never
sleeps, for my next body of work, ‘City and Sky’,
which has already evoked interest in galleries,
including Gallery on Six and an art dealer in New
York.”
And Jo’s ambition doesn’t stop there. “I would
love to create a monumental public art piece to
enthral and inspire people, particularly highlighting
the importance of the preservation of our vulner-
able marine life. I would love to have my work in
Art Basel, on the banks of the Rhine.” More at
www.mojocreations.com.au
Ultimate mOJO CReatiONS
Jo was born in to art. “With a very
creative mother, I was always encour-
aged to explore my artistic talents.
As far as mojocreations, I brought it
into being in 2002 when I recognized
an overwhelming response for my
latest creations, stainless steel sculpture.”
From studying art and design at high school, Jo
dabbled in many creative workshops through her
career, as she says “to inspire my creative juices”.
“I’ve always preferred to make gifts for people,
rather than buy them and through this process
have explored many different mediums and
techniques.”
Her husband Drew played a major role in Jo’s
discovery and attraction towards stainless steel as
stainless.”
Drawing mostly from her abiding love of the
ocean, the boating lifestyle and fecund marine life
of her native Australia, Jo has more recently been
exposed to other cultures, customs and ways of
life which have all spurred her “creative juices” and
manifest themselves in steel.
“Travelling to Dubai, Paris and New York for
recent exhibitions of my work has inspired me to
create a new body of work called ‘City and Sky’, a
huge contrast to my marine themed work which is
inspired by my life on the water.”
While her supple, superlative creatures are utterly
at home in a gallery or beach house, and prized by
art collectors, interior designers, architects, devel-
opers and governments for major public works,
Jo is happiest when her pieces are adopted by the
world’s most beautiful superyachts.
“It best suits marine environments and comple-
ments the innovative design and inspired layout
ideas of modern maritime architecture,” she says,
adding that marine grade stainless steel means all
creations are able to be displayed outdoors with
minimal maintenance.
But don’t think Jo’s pieces are one-hue stainless.
Jo wields colours just as adroitly as an artist on
a creative medium. As Jo recounts: “In 2002 Drew
and I sailed into Redcliffe on our first yacht, that
Drew had built. Being a boat builder and stainless
steel fabricator, Drew picked up work around
the boat yard and I found a job in the hospital-
ity industry. Drew was working out of a shed in
the boat yard, and one particular day, I picked up
some of his stainless steel off cuts and declared ‘I
want to make a fish!’
“Drew taught me how to work with stainless and
I made my first Angel Fish as a Birthday gift for a
friend.”
Once she realized stainless steel was the medium
she was most inspired by, Jo took on a mentorship
at a local engineering firm in Redcliffe, Queensland
to further her skills. She also backed it up with
formal technical qualifications, achieving her Cer-
tificate III in Engineering, Fabrication Trade, Cert III
in CAD and a Diploma of Engineering.
In the past decade, Jo says her work has evolved,
as have her techniques. “I believe my work is
more refined these days and I spend a lot more
time with the finishing processes. My style is
and always has been quite contemporary with
clean lines. I am constantly developing different
techniques in the way that I colour and shape the
S e a l i f e i N
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