Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy has been a huge inspirational influence for my artwork. I started to do a lot of nature incorporated work in my second year of college, it seems to resonate with me more than working with a flat surface. Although drawing is a one thing I love to do, it doesn't compare to the three dimensional qualities and feeling of the natural material that you work with when it comes to environmental art. The last two pictures are taken of a piece I worked on with a group of students at Lorain Community County College. The project was introduced to us by Nancy Halbrook's, due to an rock wall spiral I started a year before, who had a local artist, i Mario Kujawsk , to instruct the participating students to create a vision that will incorporate the community. The idea created was referred to as "the prayer catcher." It was a web of natural objects found throughout the area, rocks, pine cones, sticks, bark, willow branches, leaves, anything nature. We created a web between two trees with twine and attached the individual environmental artwork together on the twine and the trees. Part way through I had an idea that we should create something in the middle of this area, like a sculpture. The idea was passively addressed by the students, but Mario encouraged me to just create that part myself. I did add a few small pieces of other students artwork on the sculpture to connect the piece to the other students but mostly everyone said they would rather it be my personal addition. This ended up being a prayer stick project as well, where we took little sheets of paper that people could write on and wrap around small sticks and hang off of any place on the project. We had a Buddhist ceremony after a Spanish awareness exhibition opening where everyone wrote a out a prayer stick and hung it on a separate piece that was to be added to the center piece after we did a ceremonial walk. Jone Perch, LCCC Gallery director, had then asked me to do a second piece to keep in the gallery for those who didn't want to go all the way out into the courtyard to add their wish or prayer. It was one of the most memorial experiences I have had in my life thus far. The last five pictures are taken of "the prayer catcher."