During my time in Galway I was eager to explore the vast land that I was fortunate to call home. The walk down to the river beyond my art studio each day was filled to my delight with sacred trees and herbal plants. Early on I was drawn to a beautiful Hawthorn tree, her bark surrounded by thick wild blackberry. In Celtic mythology, the Hawthorn tree being one of the sacred thirteen is said to represent the magic of the fairies. The thorn ridden blackberry bushes, often found surrounding the bark, symbolize protection. The enchantment that I discovered here was instilled into my daily routine, greeting the tree each day to share stillness and thoughts. Many of my ideas were born, practiced, and transmuted in the company of my wise friend.
I began to take notice of a reoccurring shape in nature which was seemingly eager to grasp my attention. Pictured below, the shape appeared similar to that of the English letter Y. I began to recognize it as a pair of human arms pointing towards the sky, or rather legs planted on the earth. For the four months I spent traveling about Europe, I pondered what this material symbol could signify to me. A number of things came up, but most importantly I felt it to symbolize the bridge between man and nature.
The very trunk of my Hawthorn tree friend possessed this shape. Each day I returned to the tree and discovered an offering on the ground resembling the same shape, sometimes in the form of limbs, other times moss or rock. We developed a kinship reliant upon mere presence where our language became tangible gifts from the natural world. These conversations as memory serves were simple yet impactful. Similar to smiling at a stranger that you may pass on the street. A warm resonance of feeling seen and perhaps heard.
My first installation unveiling this vision titled ‘Ladder to the Sky’ was built off of the foundation of the Hawthorn’s trunk. I foraged dried grass and created cascading lines between the walls of the trunk, resembling that of a ladder. To me this represented the strength and reward earned thru spending authentic time attuning with nature.
This led to my second earth-sculpture project titled ‘Seek to Find’, where I utilized a fallen branch in this shape with more dried grass bits. The outcome appeared similar to that of a witch’s broom. The fantastical raw appearance of this was pleasing in regard to my purpose.
This setting also staged the evolution of my piece titled ‘Evidential Impressions’. Here I explored different versions of my desire to paint with wind power. I staged a contraption built of foraged metal from an old gate and wispy brush, suspended from the branches of the tree. Below the device was a large piece of canvas secured to the earth with rocks, covered in watered-down paint. I left the experiment in motion for the duration of a full day, being exposed to a variety of elements. I came the next day to discover somewhat of a mess caused by strong wind and curious horses. The canvas was ripped, torn and stained with peat and sediment from the pressure of horse hooves. To me this piece is breath taking as it represents surrendering the need to control and allowing nature to run its course.
It was a humbling process arriving at this feeling, with much further still to go. I intend to continue working in this fashion as a wind painter, allowing the element to guide my actions with thoughtful pursuit. The main intention of this exchange remains giving and receiving. The outcome of the experiment stands as evidence that beauty may prevail even thru perceptions of destruction and chaos.