Journey to the End of Time / Alex Miller
Allen & Unwin 2026
2026
Essay from John Wolseley and Sarah Ormonde’s exhibition “Dry Sand, Wet Mud, Moving Earth”
“ Alex and John Wolseley met after we moved to Castlemaine.
We were invited to John's home in the Whipstick Forest north of Bendigo, where we witnessed John's wonderful work in progress. Alex and John have some shared history, having both lived in Somerset and arrived in Australia as young men.
They enjoy chatting over a cup of tea.
I heard the arts being defended the other day in terms of how much revenue they brought into South Australia. The arts are as important to me as family. Love is the first thing that comes to my mind, not money. I like the story about Churchill during the bleakest time for England in the Second World War, when his government was searching for ways of raising funds for more armaments. One of his ministers suggested they cancel the arts budget. Churchill turned to him and said, But that's what we're fighting for?…” (Page 225)
“ … Sarah and John both work in a sympathetic and intensely observant relationship with nature. Their energetic curiosity is obvious the moment you meet them. Both invite nature to contribute its voice directly to their work. The mud dauber wasps produce the material structures of Sarah's fired elements in this case, and Sarah then makes permanent works of art of them through her craft. The direct voice of nature in John's work takes place in so many different ways that it has to be seen as an intrinsic part of his way of life.
Both these artists do their utmost to give nature a chance to have its say… “ (Page 227)
