by Jason Leith
Sycamore patch, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 31 October 1986. Andy Goldsworthy.
For much of my life I have wrestled with two sides of myself. One side loves to play and wonder and the other is stiff and suffocated by logic. This second part of me is not the truest part. I am thankful I have discovered ways to leave this part behind. One way is when I embrace the play and wonder inspired by other artists. At twenty years old, as I was still learning to embrace my liberated side, I am thankful someone introduced me to Andy Goldsworthy.
Creating much of his artwork in surrounding nature of his hometown village of Penpoint Scotland, Goldsworthy’s process is wonderfully unfamiliar. Hands empty of tools of any kind, he steps out into nature and begins gathering elements of the created world to make site specific sculptures. Many of the works are planned in the moment and he uses no glue, no hammer, no machinery.
by Andy Goldsworthy http://photovoltaicpoetry.com.au/about/place/andy-goldsworthy-ice/
I smile remembering how he arranged icicles to look as if they are weaving in and out of the trunk of a winter aspen. I find delight in the seamless color gradient of fall leaves he arranged on the ground like a Buddhist mandala. My heart jumps remembering the way he collected hundreds of reeds from a damp hillside and mended them into a tapestry suspended from a lone tree.
One of his works takes hours, sometimes days, and the process is as important as the final vision. Every failure in the form of collapsing rock or melting ice is a way Goldsworthy finds reconnection with nature and with himself. Each collapse requires a moment for few deep breaths, but it provides a lesson about limits, physicality, and our relationship with creation. As we push and play in nature, it can teach us. When a sculpture is finished, he photographs the result and releases it to the mercy of time and the elements. Soon enough, every sculpture crumbles, melts, or blows away.
At my first introduction to Goldsworthy, I was simultaneously puzzled, frustrated, and delighted. How can you move into a project without a plan ahead of you? How could he let his work just crumble away like that? It must be saved! But slowly, I acclimated to realize the joy and freedom in his process.
Sycamore leaves stitched together with stalkshung from a tree, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 1 November 1986. Andy Goldsworthy.
Leaning into the Wind, a Magnolia Pictures release. © Thomas Riedelsheime, all rights reserved. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
I distinctly remember the intersection of Goldsworthy’s work and rediscovering the lighthearted side of my relationship with the Lord. My spiritual life was defined by duty, obedience, and mission. These things are not bad, however, I had lost sight of the truth that wherever the Spirit of God lives, “there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:16). I had forgotten how the Lord wants to enjoy, wonder, and just be with his kids—no agenda. One of the gifts he wants us to enjoy is the beauty and infinite discovery found in the created world.
The first time I tried to channel Andy Goldsworthy out in a southern California trail, my unhindered child-like spirit came leaping back. All the brooding weight of duty was lifted as I arranged geometric rocks into a puzzle and gathered dried flowers to make my sculpture. Looking back, I realize in moments like those, my friendship with the Lord was growing.
by Andy Goldsworthy https://vedantus.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/andy-goldsworthy-1.jpg
Goldsworthy’s work and process shows me how to leave weight and stiffness at the door when approaching my relationship with God. I do not have to have a grand plan for the future. There is no need to dwell on the past. I can just breathe in the moment. When things collapse, it’s okay. I take it as learning.
Goldsworthy believes that our connection to nature is deeply linked to our connection with ourselves. If we are disconnected from nature, he believes our sense of self will suffer. There is no doubt that growing up, I had lost connection with vital parts of who God made me to be. But Goldsworthy’s encouragement to simply step out into nature and make something breathed life into me, reminding me of the lightness of God and how I have a standing invitation to reconnect with him whenever I choose. No weight, just wonder.
Jason Leith is the Pastor of Visual Arts at Saddleback Church in Orange County, California. His work focuses on socially engagement through portraiture. His Sacred Streets project featured found object portraits of the homeless on Skid Row, Los Angeles. He graduated from Biola University with my BFA and is currently receiving his Masters in Global Leadership at Fuller Seminary with an emphasis in Art & Theology. See more of his work at www.sacredstreets.org/ and follow him on Instagram at @JasonLeithArt.
This post is part of an ongoing series where we ask artists and arts professionals to share a piece of artwork that has significantly impacted their formation as a Christian.