Meet Andy Goldsworthy

Today I would like you to meet one of my super heroes, Andy Goldsworthy.

When we think of art, we often think of paintings and drawings and sculptures made out of bronze or stone or wood. And we saw a bit about Banksy who uses the streets as his exhibition space. Or Frida Kahlo who painted from her bed and in her diary. 

There is also a group of artist who work in the wilderness. 

Mr Goldsworthy is such an artist. He works out on the land, listening to what nature is trying to tell him. He works with utmost respect towards nature, working only with the materials he finds. Most of the times, he doesn't even use tools, only his hands. He might use a rock he finds to cut a branch to the size he needs, or he uses pine needles to pin leaves together. I have also seen him using his teeth to cut a piece of icicle to the right shape. Or he warms the ice with his hands so it melts together. But that's it.

You might think, yes, that's nice, but art like that won't last will it? Leaves will blow away or rot, branches will wash away in streams, and icicles definitely have a very limited time of life. Andy doesn't really worry about all that. He knows that that's all part of life. He takes videos or photos of his work and that is his art. It is the process he is interested in and the working in the landscape.

Here is an interesting video where you can see how he works

Your task today is to be an environmental sculptor. Go outside, listen to what the day and the world around you whisper to you, collect materials and create a work of art. Don't take it too seriously, I believe that's my hero's strength: he is sensitive to and fascinated by the world around him, but he doesn't take himself too seriously. Take a photo of it or draw it in your your journal. If you like, write about what you did. Sometimes, the art you created says enough and you don't have to explain it.

If you want to see more of Andy Goldsworthy, watch the documentary Rivers and Tides. It's amazing.