Goldworthy Inspired

Pen took this picture.

Off on a nature walk.

Just beautiful.

Tear drop shaped stones in order from largest to smallest.

Penelope worked a very long time on this one.

Pen making a driftwood sculpture.

Finished sculpture.

I think this one looks like a Goddess.

When we left this was very visible from the trail. I wonder how long it stood, and if other people saw it and made her some friends.

Driftwood wedged between rocks with purple stones balanced along it.

Penelope as a sculpture.

Violet as a sculpture.

We have been studying the artist Andy Goldsworthy this fall. He does what is called earth art. He uses materials found in nature, the earth itself, and his own body to create amazing and beautiful works which he then leaves behind to eventually be worn down and torn apart by nature. He doesn't use tools normally, and some of his pieces are so intricate and beautiful. Penelope was really into this type of art.

We took a beautiful book out of the library and also watched bits and pieces of a documentary on Goldsworthy. I'd like to watch the whole thing with Pen in the winter and then maybe do some winter Goldsworthy inspired works.

Pen loved a piece in the book we borrowed, so the first piece we did was inspired by that. We did it in our yard with plants both from our garden and wild things growing on the edges of the garden. We fashioned a circle from bittersweet vine and then supported it with Y sticks stuck into the ground. Then the girls wove bits of things they found into the circle. They worked on this piece all day very peacefully. Then we went for a late afternoon walk and stopped to talk to a friend. When Pen told her what we were doing she invited the girls into her garden to choose some flowers to pick and bring home to add to the plant sculpture. The pictures really don't do it justice. Pen also made a beautiful design from hosta leaves and nasturtiums and some little white wildflowers.

We also went for a nature walk at a beautiful place and made some sculptures from rocks and driftwood. I loved this afternoon, the girls were so happy there, the water so wild, the day so perfect. A lot of what we did required lots of balancing and patience. Pen didn't get too frustrated, in part I think because we had seen in the clips we watched, Goldsworthy working on something quite intricate and having the whole thing crumble before him after what must have been hours of work. And once after Pen spent forever trying to get something to stay the way she wanted it to Violet knocked the whole thing down. I thought Pen would loose it but she just shrugged and said " I bet that happens to Andy Goldsworthy all the time, he has kids, right?"

As a bonus, while walking back to the car we found a herd of deer grazing in a meadow. There was a mother and baby among them. We were also studying deer, so it was pretty great to happen upon them. It thrilled Penelope, especially since there was a baby.