The Art and Spirituality 16-17 class has begun. We are now two weeks in with an interesting and enthusiastic group of students. The Theme at LSA this year is ‘Landmarks’, taken from the book by Robert MacFarlane. We began with a meditation of images considering and reflecting on the many landmarks that are made or represented by stones, their possible metaphors and symbolism.
Stones
Cairns
Ruins
Peebles
Mountains
Walls
Boundaries
Dams
Fossils
Buildings
Towers
Homes
Shelters
History
Geology
Throwing
Casting .. The first
Caves
Carved
Ancient
Millstone
Touchstone
Crosses
Altars
Tombstones
gravestones
Standing stones
Ring of Brodgar
Stonehenge
Patina
Fortress
Walls:
Adrian’s
Antonine
Great wall of China
Jerusalem
To prayer at
To keep out
To separate
Dust
Stour
Jacob’s pillow
(and many more)
Week 1.
Celebrating the Ordinary
We began simply by drawing stones – ones that had been brought by the group form favorite places, found on walks and pocketed for their beauty – looking intimately, trying to get to know the ordinary yet extra-ordinary small part of creation in front of us.
Week 2.
At the Cathedral: Intimate and Monumental/Immanent and Transcendant
In week two we visited St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral to enjoy the beautiful exhibition by Monica Guggisberg & Philip Baldwin and explore the cathedral stone and space through drawing in our sketchbooks.
