Draft:Jody Pawley

Pawley’s introduction to metal casting began with making lead sinkers with his father.^[1] In his teens, he researched how sculptures were made and developed an interest in sculptural production methods, experimenting with mould-making using silicone rubber purchased from a hardware store.^[1] He later described his early sculptural work as experimental but said initial successes encouraged him to continue.^[1]

After leaving school, Pawley began work as an apprentice fitter at Gunnedah Colliery in Gunnedah, New South Wales, in 1987 and spent more than a decade in the mining industry, working underground as well as at the rail siding and washery.^[1][2][3][4] During this period he designed and built a centrifugal casting machine for casting pewter using parts machined by a workmate on a lathe.^[1][4]

Pawley initially produced small figurines, some of which were purchased by workmates during his time working in coal mines, and he later received an early commission to sculpt a figure of a client’s husband before producing additional sculptures for members of the same family.^[1]

In 1998, Pawley competed as an amateur middleweight boxer, defeating north coast champion Darren McMahon in a bout held in Grafton, New South Wales; he was trained by Gunnedah boxing coach Ivan Towns.^[5]

Pawley was retrenched from coal mining during a downturn in production at Gunnedah Colliery in 1998 and subsequently moved from Gunnedah to Sydney in 1999 to pursue work as a sculptor.^[1][2][4]

After moving to Sydney, Pawley worked freelance as a sculptor and in a bronze foundry operated by Alan Crawford, who had established his art foundry in 1988.^[1][4][6] He also advertised his services as a sculptor in the Yellow Pages and began receiving commissions.^[1] In 2000, Pawley collaborated in the group exhibition 25kms from the Meridian, held in an empty shopfront in Conadilly Street, Gunnedah.^[7]

In 2002, Pawley opened the Jody Pawley Sculpture Studio & Gallery at 97 Victoria Road, Drummoyne, New South Wales, where he offered sculpture lessons for beginner and intermediate students.^{[8][9][4][10]}

His early commissions included work ranging from sporting trophies to sculptures cast in bronze.^[1]

In 2003, Pawley produced cast bronze replicas of Joe Byrne’s Kelly Gang armour for the National Museum of Australia’s Outlawed! exhibition, creating wax models from silicone rubber moulds before casting and applying patination to replicate the oxidised surface of the original armour.^[11][12][13] The replicas were commissioned by the National Museum of Australia for display in the Outlawed! exhibition, which opened on 27 November 2003 and was held in Canberra from 28 November 2003 to 26 April 2004.^[13][14]

In 2004, he established his own small-capacity art foundry, providing casting services in bronze and aluminium from master moulding through to patination, enabling him to carry out the complete process from sculpture to finished bronze.^[4][15][16]

Pawley created a bronze bust of mining union historian Jim Comerford for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union’s memorial wall at its Cessnock headquarters in Aberdare, New South Wales.^[2][17][18] The bronze bust, approximately 600 mm high, was modelled from a limited number of photographic references, formed the centrepiece of the memorial wall, and was partly funded by the Mineworkers Trust.^[2] The commission reflected Pawley’s earlier experience working in the mining industry.^[2] The bust was dedicated on 26 August 2007.^[17]

Between August 2009 and June 2025, Pawley’s main business location was recorded in Gladesville, New South Wales.^[10] By 2010, he was operating the Sydney Sculpture School from premises on Buffalo Road, where he was director and head teacher; the business names Sydney Sculpture School and Artisan Bronze Sculpture Casting were registered in February 2011.^{[10][19][20][21]} By 2011, the Sydney Sculpture School was offering structured multi-week courses in figurative modelling using support frames or armatures with modelling clay, plaster and wax, with optional life-model sessions and small class sizes that allowed for individual instruction.^[22] The school also offered regular weekly sculpture classes taught by practising sculptors including Alan Somerville, held public exhibitions and open studio events showcasing work by teachers and students, and hosted workshops by visiting sculptors, including figure modelling and sculpture composition workshops taught by Jason Arkles in April 2019.^{[20][23][24][25][26]} Works produced at the school were exhibited and sold through exhibitions, galleries and private commissions.^[20]

In 2012, Pawley created a bronze bust of Redcliffe Dolphins president and chairman Des Webb for the Redcliffe Leagues Club in Redcliffe.^[27]

In 2015, Pawley participated in the exhibition The Road Home, held at the Work of Art Community Gallery in Gunnedah.^[7][28]

In 2017, Pawley cast in bronze the ANZAC and Lemnos commemorative statue at Kogarah Town Square, Sydney, from a sculpture by Takis Kozokos; it was unveiled on 4 March 2017.^[29]

In 2018, Pawley co-owned the Sydney Pop-Up Gallery, which operated temporary exhibition spaces at Garibaldi Village Square in Hunters Hill and Mosman, and delivered sculpture workshops in collaboration with the Sydney Sculpture School.^[30][31][32] The business name Sydney Pop Up Gallery was registered in June 2018.^[10] In the same year, Pawley was described as a bronze specialist.^[33]

Pawley later worked for approximately 18 months on the sculptural doors for St Mary’s Cathedral, Tonga, completing the project before moving to Tasmania.^[1]

The business name Tasmanian Sculpture School was registered in April 2025,^[10] and in June 2025 Pawley’s main business location changed to Tasmania.^[10] The school opened in August 2025.^[34] Pawley was interviewed on ABC Radio Hobart in 2025, and the Tasmanian Sculpture School was profiled in Lume Magazine in 2026.^[1][34] He teaches sculpture workshops at the Tasmanian Sculpture School in Legana, Tasmania.^[35]

Pawley specialises in portrait sculpture and has completed several major commissions, including a bronze bust of former Sydney Lord Mayor and arts patron Nelson Meers.^[4]

• Replica of Joe Byrne’s Kelly Gang armour, cast in bronze for the National Museum of Australia’s Outlawed! exhibition, Canberra, 2003.^[11][12][4]
• Bust of Jim Comerford, bronze, CFMEU Memorial Wall, Aberdare, New South Wales, 2007.^[2][18]
• Bust of Des Webb, bronze, Redcliffe Leagues Club, Redcliffe, 2012.^[27]
• ANZAC and Lemnos commemorative statue, bronze casting from a sculpture by Takis Kozokos, Kogarah Town Square, Sydney, 2017.^[29]
• Bust of Nelson Meers, former Sydney Lord Mayor and arts patron, bronze portrait commission.^[4]