Feature Portfolio
Grumpy the Eastern Long-Necked Turtle
A Steampunk Sculpture by Moz Moresi
Located: Lake Meran, Victoria Australia
Grumpy the Eastern Long-Necked Turtle was a commissioned design and build project I took on in 2022, thanks to the president of the Friends of Lake Meran Foreshore Committee. Lake Meran, my childhood lake, is located between the country towns of Boort and Kerang in north central Victoria, Australia.
The committee gave me creative freedom over the design, so I chose my favorite style—Steampunk. This aesthetic, which originated in Britain around 20 years ago, blends vintage industrial elements with a touch of the fantastical.
Building Grumpy
Grumpy was crafted using a mix of recycled and new steel, along with repurposed agricultural machinery parts. His construction includes:
An old Wisconsin V4 engine
Chain sprockets and gears
Old gas cylinders
Pickheads (once used for digging through hard ground)
And many other salvaged bits and pieces, all welded together to bring him to life
The name Grumpy came naturally. Every morning, without fail, I’d greet him with a "good morning" as I opened my workshop doors—yet he never responded! I figured he must’ve had terrible sleep every night, so Grumpy he became.
The Journey
While I had a basic concept in mind for his body and shell, much of his internal structure evolved over time. The entire project took me two and a half years of spare time to complete, finishing in early 2025.
In February 2025, Grumpy was mounted onto a purpose-built, oval-shaped concrete pad near the children’s playground at Lake Meran.
A Personal Reflection
Out of all the sculptures I’ve created over the past 20 years—both big and small—Grumpy stands out as the most complex. Building him has been an incredible experience, and while I’ll miss having him in my workshop, I look forward to visiting him in his new home.
I hope everyone enjoys his story as much as I enjoyed creating him.
Frogmouth Native Owl
The First in a Series of Seven Australian Owls
This striking canvas painting features the Frogmouth Owl, the first in a seven-part series celebrating Australia’s native owls. Painted with modern acrylics, the artwork captures the mystical, nocturnal presence of this unique bird, which is often mistaken for an owl but belongs to the nightjar family.
Set against a rich, atmospheric backdrop, the painting highlights the intricate feather patterns and piercing gaze of the Frogmouth, showcasing its incredible camouflage and silent hunting skills. Known for its diet of moths and small rodents, this nocturnal predator is brought to life with expressive brushstrokes and a deep understanding of its natural habitat.
With a blend of realism and artistic interpretation, this piece embodies the essence of Australia’s nocturnal wildlife, setting the tone for the rest of the series.
Rusty the Redfin & Shag on a Rock
Sculptures for Little Lake Boort
Location: Little Lake Boort, Victoria, Australia
In 2015/16, I had the opportunity to create two unique sculptures, Rusty the Redfin and Shag on a Rock, for Little Lake Boort—a place close to my heart as my childhood town. Commissioned by the local shire, this project was a collaboration with members of the renowned Men’s Shed workshops, bringing the community together through creativity and craftsmanship.
A Community Effort
Following the shire’s earlier purchase of my Dragonfly sculpture, they wanted something equally special for the lake’s shore. The materials for these sculptures came largely from donations by locals, with additional parts sourced from scrap yards. This generous community support helped shape the project, making it a true Boort creation.
Rusty the Redfin – A Steampunk Masterpiece
Built in my signature Steampunk style, Rusty the Redfin is a bold and intricate sculpture, crafted from a mix of agricultural machinery parts and sheet metal. Inspired by the Redfin Perch—a species commonly found in the lake—Rusty embodies the fusion of mechanical ingenuity and artistic vision, bringing a touch of industrial fantasy to Boort’s natural landscape.
Shag on a Rock – A Tribute to Nature
In contrast, Shag on a Rock was designed with realism in mind, using old harvester comb fingers and industrial chains of varying sizes. These materials allowed me to create an accurate representation of a pied cormorant, or “shag,” perched on a rock, wings spread wide as it dries off after a deep-water dive in search of fish or crustaceans.
A Lasting Legacy
Both sculptures now stand proudly by Little Lake Boort, celebrating the town’s connection to its waterways and local wildlife. This project holds a special place in my journey as an artist—not only for the creativity involved but for the sense of community, history, and collaboration it represents.
I hope these sculptures continue to bring joy and spark curiosity for years to come.
Echidna
A Sculpture That Sparked Recognition
Location - Toorak Village, (Melbourne) Victoria, Australia
In 2013, I created Echidna, a sculpture inspired by one of Australia’s most unique and beloved mammals. Built with precision, patience, and a deep appreciation for this incredible animal, it became a defining piece in my journey as a sculptor.
Crafting the Echidna
The foundation of this sculpture was a heavy-walled gas cylinder, giving it a solid and durable core. To ensure anatomical accuracy, I crafted hollow pipe legs and feet, carefully shaping them to reflect the echidna’s natural stance.
One of the most intricate aspects of this sculpture was its 654 individually welded spines, each crafted from 12mm-thick solid steel. Once welded into place, I meticulously ground and shaped every spine by hand using a heavy-duty electric grinder. Despite their striking appearance, I rounded off the edges of each spine to eliminate sharp areas, making the sculpture both safe and tactile.
A Striking Finish
To enhance its visual impact, the entire sculpture was coated in industrial gloss black paint, applied in two layers over a primer base. For a finishing touch, I hand-painted the tip of each spine in gold, giving the Echidna an eye-catching contrast that highlights its distinctive quills.
Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition & Permanent Home
After its completion, Echidna was entered into the prestigious Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, where it stood among 100 entries competing for the top prize. While it didn’t take first place, it captured the admiration of local traders and the council, who chose to purchase it for their Main Street sculpture collection.
Now, Echidna sits proudly on a polished solid concrete block, displayed permanently for pedestrians to admire—day and night, for years to come.
A Turning Point in My Artistic Journey
More than just a sculpture, Echidna became a milestone in my career. It was the piece that truly established my recognition across Victoria as a sculptor of high-quality, natural-inspired welded steel artworks.
I hope it continues to bring curiosity, conversation, and appreciation for Australia’s remarkable wildlife.
Crazy Chain Octopus
Sold to a Private Collector
Over the course of 60+ hours, I meticulously welded Crazy Chain Octopus, a sculpture that brings this fascinating sea creature to life—link by link.
Built from Strength, Crafted with Precision
This octopus was entirely constructed from brand-new machine drive chain, welded together piece-by-piece, link-by-link to form its fluid, twisting body. To capture the natural taper of an octopus’s tentacles, I grafted three different chain sizes into each limb, creating a realistic, organic flow that mimics the way these creatures move through water.
For the eyes, I repurposed old spider gears from a small car differential, giving Crazy Chain Octopus an industrial yet expressive gaze—almost as if he’s watching the world with curiosity and mischief.
A Sculpture with Personality
True to his name, Crazy Chain Octopus has an unmistakable personality, his twisting tentacles and intricate metalwork giving him a sense of motion and life. It didn’t take long for him to capture attention, and he was soon purchased by a private collector in Melbourne, finding a new home where his unique character can be appreciated.
From raw industrial materials to an expressive, lifelike form, Crazy Chain Octopus remains one of my most distinctive creations—a testament to how steel and imagination can bring even the most fluid of creatures to life.
Moz Moresi’s Private Collection
Crazy Dragonfly
– A Grand Entrance of Steel and Art
Standing at 4.3 metres high, Crazy Dragonfly was designed as a striking entrance archway for my own property driveway. Unlike many of my other works, this piece leans into abstract design, crafted from traditional pipe, steel rod, and concrete reo mesh to create a bold and unconventional take on the dragonfly form.
A Winning Sculpture, But Not for Sale
Despite being built as a personal piece, I entered Crazy Dragonfly into a country town sculpture contest, where it won first prize. Following its success, I was offered a reasonable price for its purchase—but I declined. This sculpture holds a special place in my collection, marking the entrance to my space in a way no other piece could.
A Unique Style for a Familiar Subject
While many of my sculptures emphasize detailed realism, Crazy Dragonfly stands out for its abstract approach, blending industrial materials into a dynamic and eye-catching form. Its towering height and intricate structure create a sense of movement, capturing the essence of a dragonfly in flight while remaining firmly rooted in steel.
For me, Crazy Dragonfly is more than just a sculpture—it’s a statement piece, a symbol of creativity, and a personal landmark that welcomes all who visit.
Barn Owl – The Silent Hunter
Commission - Private Collector
This painting captures the Barn Owl, a masterful nocturnal predator that glides through the night in search of small rodents and moths. With its piercing gaze and ghostly white face, the artwork conveys the silent, calculated nature of this remarkable bird, known for its ability to hunt with precision in complete darkness.
Using modern acrylic paints on canvas, I have depicted the soft yet powerful presence of the barn owl, emphasising its razor-sharp talons—capable of crushing prey in an instant—and its small but formidable beak, which tears meals into manageable pieces. Later, like all barn owls, it will regurgitate the remains, leaving behind small pellets of fur and bone.
By day, the barn owl prefers to roost in old barns, sheds, and hollow trees, hiding away until dusk falls again. This painting captures not just the physical form of the owl, but the mystique and solitude that define its existence.
A familiar yet haunting figure of the night, this is my own version of the common barn owl—one that embodies both elegance and quiet ferocity.
SEE MORE ON INSTAGRAM @MOZMORESIART
SEE MORE ON INSTAGRAM @MOZMORESIART
Follow us on Instagram @mozmoresiart to explore more of my sculptural projects, get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, and see new works as they come to life.
From raw materials to finished masterpieces, you’ll find exclusive insights, works in progress, and the stories behind each creation.
Join the journey and stay inspired!
