Star Gazer III

**Artist **Stephen King

**Production date **2001

Media: Carved stringybark

Measurements: 6000mm high

A towering sculpture named “Star Gazer III” by Walcha artist Stephen King.

This 6-meter-high artwork is a marvel crafted from Stringybark using chainsaw carving techniques. It stands proudly in the Tamworth City Library and Tamworth Regional Gallery forecourt, inviting contemplation on politics, power, human foibles, and interrelationships.

Stargazer was initially conceived in 1993, then explored further in 1997 with smaller wood carvings, before the final piece was produced in 2001. The 6 metre tall structure has resided in the forecourt of Tamworth Regional Gallery since 2014 on an extended loan basis.

Stargazer III is a work which lends itself to different themes and concepts. Its appeal is broad partly due to its flexible thematic nature, and just as the concepts are fluid, the marriage of the figurative and the abstract provokes thought and discussion.

The loan of Stargazer III coincided with King's major retrospective at Tamworth Regional Gallery called Sculpture, which went on from Tamworth to other regional galleries such as Maitland and Dubbo.

The prominence of the piece and the significance of the artist to the local region makes Tamworth Regional Gallery an ideal home for its permanent residence. It will join an existing collection of King's work including etchings, drawings and a smaller carved wooden sculpture in the style by which he has become known.

King elaborates on the work: “This work is about generational change, and also big business. It talks about the person who looks to the stars with ambition, but sometimes this means unwitting treading on those below. Stargazer discusses competition and survival of the fittest. Stargazer is a thought provoking work about politics and power; human foibles and interrelationships. It is about the human tendency to not think through consequences of actions and how they might affect others.”