Sculptures by the sea

Friday, the day after I went to the blue Mountains, Tegan, Cory and I met back up for a trip to Bondi beach. Each year they do a show along the Oceanwalk called sculptures by the sea. When I heard it was going on this year I vaguely remembered a girl I met in 2013 from Australia telling me about the show. It happens once a year and it's a really big deal! She told me that it was something I should definitely see so how great is it that I just so happen to do when the show is on this time!?

The Seattle Seahawks I had a game that day and Cory was more interested in the game and then where we were and what we are about to do. So he found himself a pub that had the game on and made himself comfortable.

Teagan and I started the Bondi Coogee walk that has hosted this event since 1997. It began as a one day event and since has grown to a 3 week event. The show spans from the cliffs of Bondi beach to the cliffs ofTamarama (the next beach over).

The start of the walk. Sculptures are just past these buildings ahead.

This is a heavily populated path with locals and tourists alike. Lots of people run this path when sculptures by the sea isn't in progress.

The Bondi beach pool.

But before we begin... Some fun street art that I saw before the sculptures started. Who doesn't love a bright yellow "Tonka Truck"!?

The coastline is literally transformed into an outdoor art gallery with both local and international artists showing. There are over 100 sculptures exhibited this year!

Millions of visitors come to this event each year and this year they expect over half a million to attend. It has become the world's largest free outdoor sculpture exhibition.

I don't have a ton of words to lay out here for you but I do have a lot of pictures! Teagan and I had fun getting creative with a few different sculptures.

Picture time!!!!!

A tornado like peice to the right of me and up, look up!

At a closer look which I don't have for you, they are people made out of brightly painted timber.

I took several shots to get a wave passing thru at the perfect time!

A hand holding a fish or a dolphin? It looks like it's made out of mesh but I believe it was actually chain. I think of it as the ocean holding the fish.

Not one of my favorites but here's an idea of ones I didn't absolutely love.

So, I have done this walk several times and I've never seen this rock here before. As I passed at this time I thought that's weird I've never noticed that rock before. I said to Teagan, that can't be our right? Have you ever noticed that rock before? She replied, no I don't think so and as we got closer to it we saw a plaque with an artist name on it! So it was definitely brought in and messed with the scenery incredibly well, wouldn't you say?

I believe this one was called, "troubled youth"

This looks like it was made out of a paper similar to a egg carton's are made out of. Upon closer investigation I'm convinced that they also could be drink carriers.

Looking back from where I had walked so far.

Now for a break in art to enjoy some more true Australian scenery photos:

I managed to catch this Lil guy, frozen on the rusty pole. These lizards are everywhere in Sydney! They are harmless.

I just really enjoyed the colors and textures happening here.

Back to the art...

The ocean rocket!

I think I had the most fun with this sculpture.

Tegan photo bombing me.

The weather was cloudy and then sunny and then windy and just all over the place! The wind closing thru the hair of these guys though... Man you'd think they were real!

Kind of creepy but they were very well done. Even the one in the middle!

The flyin' shiny budah!

Not sure what these were made of but they made me think of enamel.

This was a BEAUTIFUL wooden bell! The colors in the timber and the intreqet carvings of the trees. Sorry for the lack of a detail shot.

The ocean thinker? I loved how the rust had already set in.

The photo doesn't show the little puppy behind the boys head very well. This sculpture made a lot of people happy as they tried to do handstands next to him.

The naked red Asian man by the sea.

This peice drew in a large crowd.

More fun with reflections!

I had to edit this photo a bit to get the texture in the black to pop.

And then we reached Tamarama beach park. This is the end of the walk. You turn around from here and on the walk back you cut into a grassy park above the path to see more sculptures!

I had to run off a young couple in order to get this picture. They had decided to hang out and make out against it and my patience grew tired waiting for them. Pretty sure I embarrassed them! Ha!

Interactive art!

As in giant squirt bottles!

My favorite metal sculpture.

A colorful tide pool of glass blown treasures!

This was a challenge to line up correctly and as you can see I still didn't get it perfect.

Sounds of the ocean echoed from this peice just like a large sea shell does when you hold it to your ear. Several people were confused about where the sounds were coming from because the wind carried the noise in all different directions.

Pdx airport, anybody? I think this artist should meet the Oregon Pdx horse art creator.

The skeleton of a leaf - beautiful and organic

Close up to show the droplets of dew.

And this reminds me of Lee Kelly, an artist from Oregon city, Oregon.

I'm certain that if you look back at a post from my Canadian trip you will find similar sculptures in red!

Venus fly traps

Cory and I checking them out for further detail.

This reminded me of my grandma Ruth. Trips to the playground with her, the big old (original) style slide, the black and white photos of a girl from another

We only paid for 3 hours of parking (Have I told you how $$$ parking is ALL over Sydney!?), we had a handful of sculptures left when we noticed there was 10 minutes left on our meter! So we unfortunately rushed thru the end and even skipped a few and missed an artist talk that I saw in progress.

Overall id say the show was amazing! There were a few sculptures that I didn't care for as much but that's the way all art showings are, right!? You can't love them all.

We made it back to the car 8 min or so late but that was mostly because we couldn't resist some more great Kodak moments!

In the parking lot we were in there was a wall with all these murals on them. Great murals! This one says: