Sculpture By The Sea Cottesloe - 2015

It's that time of the year, when the leaves tinge brown, the early mornings have a noticeably cooler caress and 'Sculpture by the Sea' graces our shores once again. In its 11th year, featuring artworks from 69 Australian and International artists, the free two-week event on one of our most beautiful and iconic beaches, attracts hundreds of thousands of people to view the amazing artworks. The girls and I went to have a look last Saturday. Unfortunately it seemed that the whole population of Perth had also decided to take advantage of a hot autumnal evening to do the same. After circumnavigating the parking situation a few times, we gave up and took a relaxing swim in my mum's pool instead. What the heck was I thinking? I'm an introvert! I hate crowds. DO NOT visit Sculpture By the Sea on the weekend, especially when it has just started, when it is still 33 degrees at 4pm and when ten thousand people want a refreshing swim and beach picnic. CRAZY or What?! Brain storming possible sculpture viewing times that would not be shared with the masses and combining the logistics of needing to drop my youngest daughter to running training, I came up with the perfect time…the golden hour of the morning, that divine hour (or two) after sunrise, when the light is soft, low and sparkly. 7 AM. And guess what? My pondering was correct…no multitudes. Just early morning walkers, swimmers and other brain storming introverts like myself. Sculpture viewing perfection and I managed to have one of my girls with me, bribed with breakfast and coffee before university. It's a great show people…so much talent spread over Cottesloe Beach. I need to do a rerun next thursday to see it all. There are the usual few sculptures that make you scratch your head and question the sanity of the artist but mostly they fall into the category of ' beautifully tactile', 'aesthetically pleasing', 'quirky and entertaining' or 'down right clever'. So many favourites... This one (above) had a poignant political statement, done through the gentle eyes of a child…bridging the gap between cultures and religions. If only it could be this easy. Great job Ken, great job. I heard you…literally, it has sound effects! A visual feast for the eyes... Boy oh Boy..are we ever the Lucky Country…with views like this on a stunning morning. This is the Cottesloe I grew up in, a dream childhood in the 1970's; this was my beach playground and the muse behind my joy of beach paintings and children playing in innocence. I feel so grateful to have known the freedom of a childhood long before technology and safety issues invaded our children's lives. It was good to see a few children enjoying some fresh air and some art before school. This sculpture spoke to me so eloquently…sisters, women, their dogs. My favourite things really! I hope this takes out 'People's Choice'. I loved it. Babies as big as Mack trucks can be found crawling across the landscape, though their faces are what nightmares are made of. Ugh. ...and intricately and delicately blown glass can be discovered resting in the sand. How about viewing an extensive flock of metallic flamingoes that brighten their colour as the sun hits them... or catching two laid-back Lifeguards - off guard! They must love the few hours before an army of beach goers invades their territory. All in all, viewing 'Sculpture by the Sea' is a perfect way to start the day and I would implore any Perth peeps who have not done so already, to take a wander down to the sand and enjoy what Cottesloe has on show. Remember though... 7AM. I repeat…7 AM and no other time for viewing unless you love people and a zillion of them. Mia x