Underground Art

[GBO25]

This is 65 feet underground in a mine at Lightning Ridge. The opal bearing areas are hard clay which lend themselves to easy carving if you can do it.

The miner whose mining lease this is began carving a chain into the wall of his mine during smoko (morning tea/meal break) one day. This chain is just visible on the far right side of #1.

Over the next few weeks he begins carving native fauna.

From there he went on to bigger and better things and now his main income is from the tourists coming to see his work.

He has had no training in carving or art, it’s simply a God given talent he has.

Oh and for those of you in the UK the artist/miner is a Pom.

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#6

[Ossyphoto]

Not sure which Artwork I am supposed to be looking at some great photos, or some really great carvings. Together you would make a really good team in selling a first class tourism feature for Lightening Ridge. Good work.

[Wavelength]

Great works there ...and nicely photographed

[IzzieK]

I agree with Gordon. +1 for his comments...I started looking at the carvings too instead of your photographs? Sorry. They are all good shots. The sleeping lion is very nicely done too...makes me humm The Lion Sleeps Tonight...

P.S. How much did you pay to get in there to see these? Where exactly is this place? Are there others?

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[DickyOZ]

Great carvings and photos. I'll bet two bob he makes a better living out of tourists than he ever did mining opals. I will definitely seek out that place the next time I'm down that way.

[GBO25]

Thanks Gordon, Nandakumar, Izzie, John and Richard.

Great carvings and photos. I'll bet two bob he makes a better living out of tourists than he ever did mining opals. I will definitely seek out that place the next time I'm down that way.

I'll bet he does as well Richard. His mine/gallery is called Chambers of the Black Hand and is out towards the airport. Coming into town turn right at the tourist information office and follow the road.

[Sam W]

Nice photography, great work given the lighting, interesting series too.

[GBO25]

Thanks Sam. Not enough room for a tripod so I had a the camera on a monopod to help steady it for the shots.

[Rebel]

What an awesome place, and well photographed!

Thanks for sharing Graham.

[Manfred M]

An interesting series, Graham. This seems to be something that people that work underground do from time to to. The workers in the Catacombs in Paris also carved away while on breaks, although the Parisians tended to be more into architecture in their underground work.

[FootLoose]

Great set, Graham. I've never heard of this place, so thanks for sharing. Is the guy still carving?

[Chrisclick]

Like everyone else, I find myself absorbed by his carvings and not thinking about the photography. Great shots.

[GBO25]

Great set, Graham. I've never heard of this place, so thanks for sharing. Is the guy still carving?

Yes he is Greg. This is the artist and as you can see here he also paints.

[Manfred M]

Yes he is Greg. This is the artist and as you can see here he also paints.

He wears a hard hat while painting? Is it really that risky to work there or is it more a case of an old habit?

[GBO25]

He wears a hard hat while painting? Is it really that risky to work there or is it more a case of an old habit?

It will be OH&S laws Manfred. We tourists had to don hardhats as a condition of entry. Some of the tunnels have timber bracing to support the roofs against cave ins. They say if a cave in is likely the timber bracing begins "groaning" some time before it happens.
It's all good fun and they say if you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space.

[IzzieK]

Do they restrict how much people can go in there? Is there a limit?

[GBO25]

Do they restrict how much people can go in there? Is there a limit?

Not sure Izzie but I think they'd have to. I was there at the very end of the "tourist season" before it gets too hot to be bothered going out there so there weren't many people around.

[IzzieK]

Not sure Izzie but I think they'd have to. I was there at the very end of the "tourist season" before it gets too hot to be bothered going out there so there weren't many people around.

I will put that in my bucket list for Bill to go to. He will be very interested in that...Thank you so much for the link.

[Ossyphoto]

Lightening Ridge is one well known Opal mining region in the Australian outback, the other is Coober Pedy. Quite often the miners live in underground "Dugouts" sometimes they have a sky light in the roof quite often no natural light at all. The biggest benefit is the constant temperature underground. At Coober Pedy they have an underground church.