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Patrick Dougherty, an American artist who lives in North Carolina, created this sculpture by weaving tree saplings together. The name of the sculpture is Running in Circles and he created this in the country of Denmark in 1996. Over the last 30 years, Patrick Dougherty has created over 300 sculptures in places like Scotland, Japan, and all over the United States. Can you follow the line that the woven tree saplings make as they travel through the trees? Does it look like the line is moving?
http://www.stickwork.net/featured
Patrick Dougherty made this sculpture, Just Around the Corner, in 2003 in the state of Indiana. As you can see, some of his sculptures are large enough for people to go inside. Can you imagine what it would be like to go inside this sculpture?
http://www.stickwork.net/featured
Not all of Patrick Dougherty’s sculptures are outside. This work, Out of the Box, is located at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Can you see the movement created by the line of spirals?
http://www.stickwork.net/featured
activities
activities
Spend some time outside walking and collecting materials that you could use to create a work of art inspired by nature. Can you find sticks, grass, leaves, seed pods, flowers, rocks? Gather whatever you can find.
Choose an area on the ground where you can start building and creating your artwork. Look at your objects and try arranging and building them different ways until you start to form your idea. Remember you can always change your mind as you are working. You are the artist! You could take a picture of your creation when you are finished.
Can you create a flat design by arranging objects on the ground?
You might want to create a mandala, a circular design that radiates out from the center.
https://childhoodbynature.com/mandalas-a-practically-perfect-form-of-nature-art/
Maybe you could create a picture of something with your objects from nature
Maybe you could create a sculpture or a building?
Maybe you could use your found objects from nature to create a spiral that you could actually walk on or follow! Artist, Robert Smithson, built this large spiral jetty in 1970 on the shore of Great Salt Lake in Utah. He used over six thousand tons of black basalt rocks to create this coil that is 1,500 feet long and 15 feet wide.
https://www.diaart.org/
Make a sketch. Can you choose some of the nature objects that you found and sketch or draw them with pencil or any art materials that you have?
https://childhoodbynature.com/celebrate-nature-with-art/
Create a nature weaving.
Check out this video showing how to make a weaving loom with a tree branch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9lUuNK2HyI
After you have completed the loom, you can weave with yarn or with some of the nature objects that you found. If you have a blunt needle, that may be used for weaving or weaving can be accomplished by just using your fingers!
Choose some of your leaves and flowers and press them in a book. Pressing leaves and flowers preserves them by drying them or removing the moisture. Leaves and flowers last a long time after they are pressed.
Pressed flowers and leaves can be used to make a collage or work of art created by gluing the flowers and leaves to paper to make a design or picture.
Your flower and leaf collages could be used as greeting cards, bookmarks, or artwork for family and friends to enjoy.
How to Press Flowers Using a Book
Choose the heaviest book you can find, such as a dictionary. The moisture could cause the pages to wrinkle, so use a book you don’t mind damaging.
Place the flower or leaf between two pieces of paper, and place them within the pages of the book.
Use more books, or something heavy, to weigh down the book once it is closed.
After a week or longer, the flowers and leaves will be dry. Remove the leaves and flowers carefully because dry flowers and leaves are very delicate.
Leola artists,
I hope you enjoy these nature activities this week. If you want to send photos of your artwork to me, use my email address. I always enjoy hearing from students!
linda_mcdonie@conestogavalley.org
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