Hey Tim, come and have a beer: Unique hay bale art an invite to weatherman

But with the help of a neighbour he was able to make his young daughter's dreams come true - creating a bush sculpture on their own front lawn.

The annual Sculptures in the Bush event kicked off on Friday, showcasing residents' creative artworks made of hay bales and farm equipment.

"We drove around last year and showed the girls the sculptures and we all thought 'how cool is that?'"

Inspired by the 2023 exhibition, Mr Atkinson contacted the Blayney Shire to see if he could enter.

Organisers of the event said he couldn't officially win a prize, since he's from Shadforth, but considering his house is on the main road to Millthorpe they let him join in.

Once part of the event, his family were thinking of names rhyming with 'hay bale' and got an idea.

"We were talking about people with the last name Bale or Bailey or whatever and thought Tim Bailey is pretty iconic," he said.

"Most people will know him, so we thought if we can make a hay bale look like him - let's do that.

"Using his big black glasses and the big cheesy grin that he has."

Along with former Network 10 weather presenter Tim Bailey, Mr Atkinson has built farm animals too, describing his piece as Wet and hailey for weatherman Tim Bailey - A live cross from the coldest place in NSW, Upper Shadforth.

"I'd love to see Tim Bailey come for a beer at our house," he said.

"Or if they invited him to come back and be the guest judge."

Once decided, he sought help from his neighbour and got five hail bales delivered on a tractor, with a crane to help position them.

After constructing the sculpture last weekend, the Atkinson family were already receiving welcome reactions from drivers.

"We couldn't have been doing it at a better time last weekend when everyone was trying to get to the Millthorpe market," he said.

"It was just car after car and people on the horn and my girls have learned how to tell a car to beep by putting their hands up and down - it's fantastic."

The Sculptures in the Bush event encompasses most of Blayney Shire including Neville, Carcoar, Blayney, Bary, Newbridge and Forest Reefs.

Mr Atkinson said the event encourages people to explore beyond their local community and enjoy the "novelty of it all".

"You go for a drive and see some of these villages or communities and stop for lunch or coffee that you may not normally spend much time in," Mr Atkinson said.

"To me it's such a good community thing in that if you have young kids, or if you've got a couple of hours free on a weekend, it doesn't cost you anything."

To view the Atkinson family sculpture drive past 2070 Millthorpe Road, Shadforth.

The Sculptures in the Bush event is on from April 12 to May 5 and includes hay bale art, scare crows and other art using farm equipment.