People
6 May, 2026
Creative and quirky blend for timeless artworks
FROM the Nullabor Plain to the green hills of south west Victoria, Lee Gilmour’s timeless creations are equally fascinating, puzzling and beautiful.
Creating beautiful pieces from items and components which have previously served another purpose and stopped working, outgrown their usefulness or simply fit in with Lee’s current vision, his lights and clocks are both industrial and elegant, creating talking points and accolades, wherever they are displayed.
Lee shares his love of making old, new again, as May’s Artist of the Month.
When and where did your interest in art begin and how did you develop your craft?
I have always appreciated art in nature, from birds eggs to ripples in the sand on an outgoing tide. Whittling sticks as a boy, carving slate as a teenager, building drystone walls, as a young adult, pruning topiary as a profession, customising motorcycles and pushbikes and so-on. There’s a notion or an idea and it goes from there. I learned and figured out what I needed to do to get the work done and it has all developed from there. I admire others’ work that resonates with me and this will give me inspiration to try the next thing.
What is your preferred/primary media and is there a ‘theme’ to your work?
We have a saying, my partner Ilsa and I, that “you never stop looking”. Found objects, bits of stuff that have served a previous purpose, so it depends what I have at hand. Making clocks and lights came about because I could never find anything that we wanted to furnish our house, so I made my own. From tables, cabinets, lights, clocks, shelves and even down to the frames for artworks and collections of things.
What attracted you to be a member of Artists of the Valley?
I say this with a positive view. Artists are of a quirky nature and this helps me fit in. Moving to a new area, we started meeting people with similar interests and a sense of community.
What are some of the achievements in your work, of which you are most proud?
I have exhibited and sold works though various outlets including ‘Sculptures in the Garden in Mudgee, NSW, ‘100km Art Exhibition’ in Orange, NSW. I have had commercial success with ‘Sweet & Unique’ and ‘Galvanised’ in Millthorpe, NSW and ‘Little Desert Motorcycles & Guitars’ in Rainbow, VIC. I have received the Clarice Beckett 3D Art Award at the last two years of the Kelpie Festival, sponsored by Robyn Rhodes. Some accolades I have been proud of were to have one of my pieces of work used for the printed invitations to the ‘2800 Show’ at Orange Regional Gallery in NSW. Myself and Ilsa have have left a legacy at ‘Forrest on the Nullabor’ where we collaborated on a permanent installation at Forrest, WA, that was featured in RM Williams Outback Magazine. This includes a large stone circle measuring over 30 metres across. I can confidently say, though, that my solo exhibition ‘Time Honoured State of the Art’ at Benally Art Gallery, VIC, has so far been my best achivement, yet. In saying all of that, what brings the biggest smile to my face is riding around on motorcycles that I have created, telling time from clocks I have made and writing this under a light that allows me to see.
Which artist, (living or passed) would you most like to discuss your work with and why?
Andy Goldsworthy does amazing work with stone and other ephemeral art in nature. It is widely rumoured that he pulled out a shotgun to come budding artists that turned up at his door, unannounced. So I guess that rules that out, then!
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