Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Sculpture by the Sea–Sydney, Australia

Posted in Australia,Personal,Travel


I love art. I love the ocean. Now put them together on a rocky coastal bluff and you create a fabulous place to contemplate creativity. I spent many years studying art and working in museums, where wall color, exhibition design, and frame arrangement can enhance an artwork. But some art thrives beyond the confines of a museum gallery. This week I had the pleasure of visiting Sculpture by the Sea, an annual environmental art exhibit held on Sydney’s coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Tamarama Beach. Using various mediums, each work conversed beautifully with its location. I fought my way through crowds of tourists and squealing school groups, but it didn’t stop the enjoyment of seeing these creative pieces at play in the fierce wind, pounding sea, blowing sand, and harsh shadows. I could write a book about how thought provoking some pieces were (especially Lucy Humphrey’s Horizon), but I’ll let the art speak for itself. Run–don’t walk–to this exhibit if you are in the Sydney area- it closes in a few days!

a to b, Francesca Mataraga

(L) Look at Me, Rebecca Rose (R) Tamarama Beach from above

Red Center, Carl Billingsley

Red Center, Carl Billingsley

Flow, Alison McDonald

Flow, Alison McDonald

A Tale of Romance, Kathy Holowko

Horizon, Lucy Humphrey

Bubble no:5, Qian Sihua

Coral, Coral Collective

Inclusion, Greer Taylor

(L) Start, Richard Tipping (R) Let Your Palm Do the Walking, Tom Blake

Posted in Australia,Personal,Travel
Sunday, November 3, 2013

Halloween Down Under–Sydney, Australia

Posted in Australia,Kids,Personal,Travel

Does Sydney celebrate Halloween? Sort of. Six years ago, no one even knew how to carve a pumpkin, but the popularity of the holiday is surging. Since last year alone, stores have seen a 175% rise in Halloween sales. It must be all of those annoying Americans who live here (us) and want to take their kids trick or treating! Since I was taken by surprise about Halloween’s existence here, I cracked and bought my daughter a costume (I usually love a good costume craft project) at Pottery Barn Kids. Her favorite Aussie cartoon is Giggle and Hoot, so she wanted to be one of the owls, Hootabell.

We cabbed over to a festive Halloween party (hosted by a native Minnesotan) in Paddington, an area that has embraced the holiday with gorgeous decorations and lots of candy. Even so, about one in every ten houses offered candy, a lot ran out the goods by 6pm, and many had bowls of loose skittles or m+m’s–apparently they haven’t gotten the memo on poisoned candy that filled us with fear in 2nd grade. Which is why all Aussies should read this entertaining article on how to participate in Halloween. But I loved trick or treating in broad daylight at gorgeous Victorian terrace houses, surrounded by blooming purple jacaranda trees. And it was 70 degrees. I could get used to that. It was a refreshing break from our last few Halloweens in the absolute chaos of 78th street in New York.

Fun was had by all, and we ended up with a whole bag of Cadbury/different candy that we have never seen before. Here’s to Halloween with a southern hemispheric twist. I’m sure we will miss it next year!

Posted in Australia,Kids,Personal,Travel
Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Still Life, 5 Ways–Sydney, Australia

Posted in Australia,Inspiration,Personal,Travel


I had fun today shooting my gorgeous flowers from the Bondi Farmers Market. Having fresh flowers in my house makes me smile…and I always have a hard time choosing between which gorgeous blooms to bring home. Green and white are neutral enough to pair with so many color schemes for weddings and parties. Just add a clear vase to instantly create a clean, modern look. Since I’m 10,000 miles from my vase collection, here I used a simple clear drinking glass.

What are your favorite flowers for entertaining?


Posted in Australia,Inspiration,Personal,Travel
Sunday, October 27, 2013

Bondi Farmers Market–Bondi Beach, Australia

Posted in Australia,Personal,Travel

I love a good farmers market–the fresh produce, the dazzling flowers, the tasty treats…it can’t be beat. Add a crisp sunny morning and Australian coffee to that mix and it’s a recipe for the perfect Saturday. Thanks to a great Australian friend of ours in NYC, we met up with some new friends yesterday as they introduced us to their neighborhood market in Bondi Beach. I only snapped a few quick shots as we navigated the crowd with two strollers and three children, but wish I had taken many more-beauty was at each stall! And those apples reminded me of home. Enjoy…

Posted in Australia,Personal,Travel
Friday, October 25, 2013

Fine Art Friday–Navy Blue and Stars–Blue Mountains, Australia

Posted in Australia,Fine Art,Travel


Last weekend we ventured into the Blue Mountains for a night, which was either very adventurous or really stupid, considering that one of the two roads there was already closed due to aggressive bush fires. We made it there safely and stayed south of one major fire and due west of another. We bunked at a gorgeous place on the edge of a cliff, and I made sure to photograph the incredible view–in daytime, nighttime, and at sunrise. It was too beautiful not too, and there is nothing like creeping around on a balcony in the pitch black trying to get my camera settings right.

When I packed my photo gear for Australia, I knew I couldn’t bring my bulky tripod, but night photography is nearly impossible without one. I couldn’t handhold my camera for a long exposure, so I rigged up a little solution out of a table, a chair, and a garbage can (check my facebook page for an image of my makeshift tripod).  Voila! It wasn’t perfect, but I was able to take 20 second exposures and capture the gorgeous stars and different levels of light. On the horizon line, you can also spot a layer of smoke from the nearby bush fires.

Here is the same scene at sunrise (the smoke layer almost looks like fog). Sometimes getting up with the birds is worth it. Happy Friday!

Blue Mountains, Katoomba, Australia, 2013

Posted in Australia,Fine Art,Travel
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Donna Hodgins - October 27, 2013 - 8:26 am

Sarah,

I love your blog. These photos are beautiful. How’s Australia treating you?

admin - October 27, 2013 - 7:33 pm

Thanks Donna! I’ve got a backup of images to post because AUS is so beautiful- we are loving it but home at Christmas. Hope your move went well! 🙂