Thursday, October 4, 2012

Paddock Art

Driving home from Lou's place, we decided to take a different road through the deliciously named towns of Cumnock and Molong. We do have some lovely names for places in Australia. (Note to self this is an idea for a blog post)

Imagine our delight as we drove along this road, there interspersed among the gum trees and the paddocks of golden canola in bloom were sculptures of animals on bicycles. First we saw a fish, then a horse. Soon I was calling out, "Stop stop, I have to take a photo".

The sculptures ranged from the truly professional to the more amateurish but each of them brought a smile to our faces. Cartoon characters mixed it with Australian animals, more serious forms alongside the humorous. Then we started seeing bits of bike up a tree and stuck on a sign. Soon our focus was on spotting the next surprise.

Corrugated iron sheets cut into impossible shapes, old rainwater tanks and tin cans painted crazy colours, disused parts of farm machinery and lots of bikes; a superb recycling into art.



There is a bush poem by an Australian poet, "Banjo" Patterson called "Mulga Bill's Bicycle", could this be the inspiration?

'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the cycling craze;
He turned away the good old horse that served him many days;
He dressed himself in cycling clothes, resplendent to be seen;
He hurried off to town and bought a shining new machine;
And as he wheeled it through the door, with air of lordly pride,
The grinning shop assistant said, "Excuse me, can you ride?"


Needless to say, Mulga Bill ended up in lots of trouble as later verses show

He turned the cycle down the hill and mounted for the fray,
But 'ere he'd gone a dozen yards it bolted clean away.
It left the track, and through the trees, just like a silver streak,
It whistled down the awful slope towards the Dead Man's Creek.


The last sculpture where we stopped was of Hod Rod Henny with a sign saying you could find more information at http://www.animalsonbikes.com.au/

Such a great idea creating "Paddock Art". Loved it.


2 comments:

  1. Love these photos as i love recycled artwork made of rusty old bits and pieces - have a few such things in my garden

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  2. Those are so cool. I love how something used has been turned into something beautiful.

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