Friday finds: Lump

It’s been a bit of a slow week around Drawn Outdoors, we took some time out to head down the coast and try and catch the last opportunity for some autumn beach fun, so Friday Finds is all I could muster up blog wise this week, but it is a good one.

I sought out this company when I saw their fabulous screens used in the MasterChef kitchen, and while I haven’t had a chance to use any of their work yet, I keep visiting their website for some fantastic inspiration.  Lump Studio is located in Melbourne, and creates beautiful and striking outdoor art.  In their own words:-

Lump has quietly established itself as one of Australia’s premier designers and creators of contemporary art and outdoor sculptures, committed to producing original designs and high quality art pieces in their Melbourne studio.  Originally founded by Chris Vassallo and later joined by Timothea Jewell, Lump Sculpture Studio at its essence,  is a place where art is essential to the lives of the people who work there, a place where art provides a living, a sense of purpose and an opportunity to keep discovering.

Enjoy the lovely outdoor eye candy to end your Easter week.  If you need more, visit their website, where you’ll find these and many many more beautiful works.

Enjoy the weekend!

Sam

Sculpture by the Sea

One of my personal highlights for a Sydney spring is the annual Sculpture by the Sea event that extends between Bondi and Tamarama beaches.  It ticks a heap of my boxes.  I get a cultural injection through some spectacular sculpture, a landscape hit from the location and the setting of the artworks, plus a great day by the beach.

The view to Bondi and the crowds along the coastal walk for Sculpture by the sea

Each November the foreshore and headland parks betweeen Bondi (from the Icebergs) through to Tamarama Beach are transformed through a mass of sculptural artworks.  The incredibly popular and free exhibition is in its fifteenth year.  The Sculptures range from the absolutely divine to the completely ridiculous, but all are set perfectly along the picturesque coastal walk pathway.

We ventured out on a hot sunny Sunday to merge with the masses enjoying both the weather and the sculpture.  As it was the first weekend, there were crowds.  Pre munchkins Mr Perfect and I would venture down after work and enjoy the sculptures by twilight and minimise the crowd factor, which is a much better option if you’re able to take it.  The Drama Queen loved the sculpture, she fell in love with so many of them.  She enjoyed the sculpture so much she didn’t even notice the playgrounds along the way!

We only managed to see half the artworks, so we will be making a return trip to see the rest.  With over 100 sculptures there’s plenty there for more than one visit!

I’ll let the sculpture speak for itself.

Ayad Alqaragholli heavenly kiss

Wang Shugana meeting 1

Matthew Harding quiescence

Marcus Tatton the ruin

Deborah Halpern Ship of fools

Tania Spencer spin

Simon McGrath who left the tap running

Keld Moseholm rolling pin

Jane Gillings provenance (a gilt frame) and yes, a Drama Queen!

Julie Collins and Derek John save our souls - shared journey

Chen Wenling childhood horizon

Dominique Sutton and Sasha Reid melt

Sculpture by the Sea is on until 20 November.  If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, this may just be your solution!

Sam

Searching for inspiration

So where does a design come from?  Is there a magic formula, is it trial and error or is it just luck?

For a lot of people it is a really difficult thing to come across.  They agonise over the right answer, and it constantly eludes them. The reason is there is no right answer.  Design is such a subjective thing, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  What works in one garden will be a disaster in another.  It all depends on the site, the surroundings and the personalities.  One and one doesn’t always equal the same thing in the design world.

Some people love energy and excitement and seeing something new around every corner, others love the elegance that can be found in pure, simple clean lines.  Me, I’m somewhere in between.

Where do I find inspiration and ideas for my designs?  The reality is that there really are very few completely original ideas in this world.  Every designer, whether they be an architect, an artist or an advertiser will draw inspiration from their peers.  They will always be searching for, and finding inspiration in the everyday and in the extraordinary.

I find inspiration from other landscape architects and designers, fashion, movies, books, art, nature and the list goes on and on.  Each garden will send me searching for a new set of fresh ideas.  Each holiday will bring me home with a new swag of inspiration.  But most importantly the inspirational search should start with the garden owners or users.  Who is going to love and nurture this new space?

I’ve started the search for inspiration for my garden, by trawling the photos on our hard drive – most of my travel photos are pre-digital camera and still in the between houses storage, so I’m itching to find the magic box to unleash the nostalgia trip, but until then…

Snowy Mountains National Park

Gorgeous home grown flowers from my baby shower

Sculpture Garden at The National Gallery in Canberra

Public art in Geelong - I love the whole collection of people along the waterfront in Geelong

Just a taste of what’s to come…

Hope you’re starting to be Drawn Outdoors!

Sam