Our patron saint....

Trust me, I am not a big fan of hang overs, but occasionally over-imbibing creates the perfect reason to slow down and laze out. This was the state of things in the Harbertson household on Sunday after a very fun and indulgent bbq the night before. Both Jaren and I were moving a little slow and the kids had stayed up late and were right there with us. We were all content to just stay in our pjs and hang out with no agenda all day. We read books and played with blocks and made lots and lots of buttery toast. Even with a head with a dull ache in it, it felt blissful and indulgent in a wholly different way.

I must credit Jaren and this hangover-induced mellow mode, for providing us with the perfect situation to spend time introducing our kids to a very important artist. On Sunday as a family we watched the documentary Rivers and Tides about the work of Andy Goldsworthy. Years ago in NYC, Jaren and I happened on Goldsworthy, a well known British artist who creates work outside in Nature using all natural materials. He does miraculous, insane things like building a large egg shaped sculpture out of random stones on the beach for hours and then watches it slowly break away and fall to pieces again as the tide comes in. He lays down on the ground in the rain and waits for enough time to pass so that the outline of his body will be perfectly left imprinted on the ground because the area where he laid is left dry instead of wet from the rain. He takes freshly shorn wool and covers miles of rock wall in the Scottish countryside and then just lets it blow away in the wind. He builds amazing structures out of broken icicles and then watches them melt away in the heat of the sun. And hundreds and hundreds of other interesting, beautiful, and compelling sculptures of Nature, inspired by Nature. He truly must be the most patient man on the planet. If it weren't for the photographs he takes of the projects, there would be no record of them since most float/drift/blow/melt away in just hours or days after completion.

Both our kids like to be outside, but Cleo in particular has a penchant for collecting and creating with natural materials. She spends hours collecting petals or rocks or sticks and then usually creates some sort of scene with them. It struck Jaren as very Goldsworthy-esque and he thought showing her the film about him would make an impact on her. It did! It made an impact on all of us. It was so inspiring to see our 6 year old watch intently as an adult artist created things that she could wrap her brain and creativity around. She saw the connection between the "work" she does in the backyard and the work of a famous artist! It brought a smile to my face for sure.

And it inspired me and Jaren to think about patience and parenting and how we can encourage the spirit and simplicity of what Goldsworthy does in our home. Watching him work, you can't help but feel the peace around his process. It is quiet. He is collecting lovely minutia for hours in a beautiful setting, breathing in the fresh air. And then he channels all this into a beautiful visual treatise on the ephemeral nature of Nature-the fact that nothing ever lasts. To me seeing his acceptance of this basic rule of life manifested in his work was like hearing a bell ring. It is a reminder to attempt to be ego-less, to embrace patience and the details of life, and above all to spend time creating and being inspired with those I love.

I took this to heart today. I took the kids hiking and Cleo completed her first official Goldsworthy inspired project. Check it out! A pocket of carefully placed dandelions ready to drift out into big water....I think its pretty beautiful and the hour it took to collect the dandelions on the mountainside, hike down to the water, and sit on the cool rock watching my daughter place them gingerly in the foam was even more so. Thank you Andy Goldsworthy. You are this household's new patron saint.

(Images above are an Cleo's work followed by a few lovelies from Mr. Goldsworthy himself. If you have a minute google Goldsworthy and check out the great images and youtube videos available on his geniusness.)