The Jindabyne Lake Light Sculpture committee has purchased this year’s Local Artist award winning piece, “Bedrock” by Dan Ambrusch, is to remain along the Jindabyne foreshore.

The piece caught the eye of a visiting couple to Jindabyne who wanted to stay anonymous and celebrate the local talent by purchasing the functional sculpture for the community and visitors to enjoy forever.

They loved how much joy it brought to spectators and wanted to honour Lake Light’s inaugural ‘local artist award’ winner by making it a permanent feature, with the condition it remains along the foreshore for the community to enjoy.

Artist Dan is working alongside Snowy Monaro Regional Council to find the perfect position for it to call home.

The Lake Light Sculpture committee said it is a beautiful reminder of what can happen when art, place and community come together, a special outcome for many.

Dan said it’s a great show of support for local artists and a way of encouraging more permanent sculptures along our foreshore.

“It’s a humbling feeling when your work is received and appreciated by the public and it’s an honour to have my work displayed and enjoyed on the foreshore of Lake Jindabyne,” Dan said.

Snowy Mountains born and bred, and a stonemason by trade, Dan’s passion for creating functional stone art is an extension of his creativity. Entering two pieces into this year’s Jindabyne Lake Light Sculpture and two in last year’s event, this piece was a functional piece highlighting the beautiful Snowy Mountain’s granite the region has.

“I wanted to showcase what can be done with local granite. Honing, polishing and leaving some faces natural with lichen and how each polished face catches the light and the shade giving it an element of contrast,” Dan said.

“I have been a stonemason for 20 years doing residential and commercial stonework in the Snowy Mountains. I feel it is now the time to pursue my creative passion and spend more time in my studio and open gallery creating sculptures like this, I really enjoy it.” Crafted from field granite broached from a neighbouring property in Berridale, Dan spent around 100 hours perfecting the two-tonne piece, Bedrock, the first sculpture he’s sold during exhibition.

“When I brought the large slab back to my home studio it came to me that it would make an impressive sculptural bench seat and I just started refining it to what you see and feel now” Dan said.

Dan’s currently working on a similar piece which will hopefully be accepted into Sculptures by the sea in Bondi, a major exhibition.

Dan said it is an accomplishment on its own to be accepted into the exhibition, which he said is a pinnacle for large outdoor sculptures.

“Through my work as a stonemason I have been commissioned to design and craft sculptural stone pieces for loyal clients. This has encouraged me to pursue this path in my career. I look forward to starting on new pieces for next year’s Jindabyne Lake Light Sculpture event and continuing my support for this amazing event,” he said.