Well darls, it was the Canberra long weekend – which means Sculpture on the Edge time again. After work on Friday the Gang swung around via Wapengo to pick up Brigitte and off we tootled towards the promise of yet more rain. You’d reckon we’d’ve had enough of it by now – but we just think of the farmers and take it cheerfully on the chin. Luckily the worst of it held off for the opening formalities, and that’s the main thing, eh…

…besides, there was something almost lyrical about the umberella element, don’t ya reckon?…

Anyhoo, the inclement weather really wasn’t condusive to too much lingering – so it was all a bit like cultural speed dating. There was stuff we did like…

…and stuff we weren’t quite as keen on as many might expect (we like our Ned a tad more manly than this)…

Nonetheless it was all good fun, with lots of lovely peeps to natter with over a vino or two (in the shelter of the marquee) and well worth the drive. We even managed to catch our fave fish’n chips joint a minute before they closed.

Lovely. And then we dashed back to the headland to watch Yuri’s fire sculpture, which we’ve regrettably missed the last couple of years. But no joy with snaps, folks – the rain put a fairly severe dampener on proceedings – and we didn’t make it to the beach, either, so didn’t see Daniel Lafferty or John Ramsay’s work. We’ll have to try to get back – the images in the catalogue look  triff.

The next excitement was the Sculpture Symposium on Sunday (Megsie was one of the speakers, along with Ken Hutchinson, Randall Sinnamon and Michael Snape) hosted by Don and Cecile at their idyllic “Nerimbah”,  just south of Bermagui. Seriously gorgeous spot…

…and what a brilliant venue for a sculptural doo; talk about site specific – it was pure micky mouse. 

The symposium turned out to be a really enjoyable day, and very entertaining. And again, what a great group of peeps.

We even found a boyfriend for Lola (they would have made lovely babies, shame she’s been fixed.)

And, finally, in the late arvo we dashed back into Bermi to catch the Small Sculpture show before it closed (….yeah, alright, and a gelato) – whereapon we came across what we decided was possibly our fave piece in the overall gig – Randall Sinnamon’s Watch Dog.

Followed closely by Richard Raffan’s boats…

All power to Jan Ireland and her crew for another successful show. It’s so much work putting something like this together, particularly given that constant battle for funding. How wonderful to see the patronage of Philip Cox this year with the inaugural, acquisitive  “Cox Prize” (awarded to Senden Blackwood for a limestone sculpture that unfortunately we didn’t get a snap of – sorry.) Meanwhile Gordon Bull, Head of the School of Art at the ANU, also announced a residency in the Sculpture Workshop (awarded on this occasion to Randell Sinnamon.) Onward, ever upward, chaps. We’re looking forward to 2011 with great anticipation.

More snaps here.

Sculpture on the Edge runs until the 14th March.