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Cypress pine, bluestone base
330 x 76 x 68cm
Winner, 2018 Montalto Sculpture Prize
Acquired 2018
Sea Farers Totemrises as a tall, carved column, held at its base by a sculpted hand and crowned by a sea eagle.
The work is hewn from cypress pine, its surface textured, tactile, and deliberately minimal in form.
Positioned along the vineyard slope, it presents a striking interplay of light, shadow, and silhouette, encouraging visitors to move around it and experience its shifting graphic presence.
The artist describes the work as evoking a sense of protectiveness and the guiding of one’s spiritual self. While its elements can be read as purely abstract, each viewer is invited to form their own interpretation of the totem’s iconography.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Mike Nicholls
Mike Nicholls is a Melbourne-based sculptor and painter whose practice spans carved wood sculpture, drawing, painting, and large-scale public artworks.
Adept with both paintbrush and pencil as well as chainsaw and chisel, Nicholls constructs works grounded in personal iconography, drawing on motifs developed over many years to explore humanity, fragility, environment, and spiritual presence. His sculptures often take the form of minimal, abstract totems that invite contemplation and individual interpretation.
Nicholls’ practice is anchored in hand-carved timber, frequently cypress pine, which he shapes into symbolic forms that merge figuration and abstraction.
His recurring motifs, including shields, animals, and human limbs, reflect longstanding interests in mythology, protection, ritual, and the natural world.
Each sculpture seeks to convey both emotional and physical resonance, with carefully considered transitions, joints, and masses that reveal the artist’s deep understanding of balance and weight. Nicholls aims to draw viewers into the emotional state of the work, allowing for personal, introspective responses.
SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Winner, 2018 Montalto Sculpture Prize for Sea Farers Totem.
Extensive exhibition history across Australian galleries and outdoor sculpture exhibitions.
Recognised for his mastery of timber carving and the distinctive monochrome graphic presence of his totemic forms.
Celebrated by judges and peers for sculptural resolution, material sensitivity, and emotional depth.
NICHOLLS AT MONTALTO
Sea Farers Totem joined the Montalto Sculpture Trail in 2018 as part of the Montalto Sculpture Prize acquisition.
Carved from cypress pine and mounted on a bluestone base, the work brings together three core elements of Nicholls’ iconography: the shield, the guiding hand, and the watchful sea eagle.
Its position on a sloping grassy rise allows visitors to experience the sculpture from multiple angles, amplifying its graphic contrast and carefully resolved structural balance.
The work embodies Nicholls’ broader practice, where abstraction, symbolism, and material presence combine to create deeply personal and contemplative sculptural encounters.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Website: https://mikenicholls.com.au
CV / Biography: https://mikenicholls.com.au/our-story
