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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