Brett ‘Mon’ GarlingF.A.I.H.ADip. Ed.

Brett Garling gained the nickname of ‘Monster’, at age five, due to his fascination for anatomy and collecting of bones and animal specimens. ‘Monster’ was quickly shortened to ‘Mon’ and the name stuck. Brett is widely known as ‘Mon’ to friends and collectors alike.

Born in Pambula, Mon’s work is influenced by his childhood in rural towns, such as, Lightning Ridge, Narrabri and Dubbo where his love of the bush and it’s characters were nurtured. Mon strives to find the presence and character in his subjects, breathing life into his work, transforming clay and paint into a vital living form.

A fascination for the technical aspects of casting his sculptures in bronze led Mon to establish his own foundry in conjunction with his art gallery, Garling Gallery in 2004. This allowed him to have a permanent collection of both his paintings and sculpture on display.

Widely regarded as an expert in the field of sculpture and casting, Mon is sought after as a speaker on the subject. He was awarded a Fellowship in September, 2006, by the Australian Institute of History and Arts in recognition of his many years of contribution to the field of Traditional sculpture, thus joining other prominent Australians entitled to place the letters F.A.I.H.A. after their names.

Mon has had over forty group and solo exhibitions and is an exhibiting member of the Sculptors Society and The Australian Plein-Air Artists Group. As a multi-award winning artist and sculptor, Mon’s work is held in both private and corporate collections worldwide.