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Beach Art Gallery: Sculpture by the Sea

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

A special local event each September for the past few years has been the Swell Sculpture Festival http://www.swellsculpture.com.au/ . Over ten days, as our southern hemisphere summer is in the wings, we join the throngs of people studying the sculptures all along the shorefront at beautiful Currumbin Beach.

This year, one sculpture which we both thought rather special was Richard Howie’s Wind Totems, made from oxidized recycled mild steel and recycled hardwood. The turning of the timber was absolutely masterful and the balancing of each work superb. The wooden vanes turned slowly, gracefully in the breeze.

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We loved the harmony of place, materials, artistic vision and execution. Much simpler than some of the other works on display, illustrating the old expression “art that conceals art”.

It’s easy to find complexity, dissonance and stress in the world today. Works like Wind Totems can encourage us to take the knowledge and skills we have in our businesses and our lives and focus our creative and productive energies in the direction of elegant, harmonious, inspiring simplicity.

The other work that appealed to us and had a fun element was Creation’s Heart by Wendy Johnson & Katrina Kelsey.

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What inspires you?

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

Beach Art Gallery: Sculpture from the Sea

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

On Tuesday this week we saw something that at first looked like a piece of machinery. When we looked closer we saw that it was part of a tree that had been sculpted by the sea and washed up on the beach.

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On Wednesday “the sea sculpture” was still there and as you can see from the picture it had changed position.

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On Thursday “the sea sculpture” was gone. Taken by the tide on it’s journey to another beach.

Just imagine if this “sea sculpture” could speak, the stories it could tell of the beaches it had rested on.

What would you ask?

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

Beach Notes: You Don't Always Have to Own It to Enjoy It

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

We sometimes walk around the area out back of where we live, on the Anchorage Islands in Australia’s beautiful Tweed River, and we see boats from the local fishing fleet at the wharf across the river and a lot of more leisure-type vessels riding at anchor in the river.

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While we don’t have a boat ourselves, we can and do relish the spectacle that is there each day for us. We don’t have to own one of these craft to enjoy them. And if we were seized with a desire to go out on one it would not be a problem to hire one with someone to do all that stuff with sails and anchors and steering, for much less cost than actually owning one (or having a bank own one for us to use).

One of the things we notice is that some of these very valuable boats never seem to leave their moorings, which suggests that someone else may be getting the pleasure of looking at them, mixed with the work of maintaining them. We get that old 70’s dream, the pleasure without the responsibility.

What do you enjoy that you don’t have to own?

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

Beach Notes: What Would You Wish for Today?

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

Every time I saw a well as a child I had to stop and pretend to through in penny, even if I didn’t have one.

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Winter is here. After a few mornings of suffering frozen toes from going barefoot on the beach we have taken to putting on shoes and socks and varying our walking path

We have walked up to Point Danger many times, this morning was the first we had focussed on this wishing well.

Our immediate thought was that this would be a great Beach Note. It also reminded me of my childhood and the joy of discovering a wishing well, tossing in a coin and making a wish.

So just pretend, drop in a coin and make a wish

Here’s your chance … What would you wish for today?

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh