Stones and Spirals

Classes end on Monday. My students are working hard this weekend to finish final projects. Every semester I teach one section of 2-D Design & Color, and one more concept-based class. In the fall I teach Exploring the Natural World, and in the spring, Myth & Symbol. I love teaching all three classes, each one has its own gifts. This is the second time I have taught Myth & Symbol, a class I proposed last year as I wanted to delve deep into the land of dreams, mystery and enchantment. We start with a cup of tea and move to an inspirational tidbit - poetry, automatic writing or drawing, symbol or archetype work, meditation, sound and ritual. Its been a real hit with my students and I find it a wonderful way to bring a bit of magic to academia. It has been an amazing semester, with strong, authentic and experimental creations. I owe my own blogging to the hours spent looking for mythic artists online to show as examples and finding the world of inspirational art bloggers. I'm so looking forward to seeing the final completed work from these amazing young artists, though it is tinged with a bit of sadness as many of them are graduating. 

In keeping with the theme of the class, I wanted to give them each a small symbolic token to mark the close of our time together. So, I went to the local swimming hole and collected small, smooth stones to paint with symbols. I sat on the stone bench in the warm sun and painted for the afternoon. Hope none of them visit this blog before Monday, or I'll have ruined the surprise....!

 

Each stone is double sided: one side a meandering line 

that links up with one of the other stones,  

the other, a spiral-themed symbol. 

I left this small bunch for someone to find....

A quiet river today. 

The sun went in and the black flies came out. 

 I have a huge welt on my forehead from some 

small black flying thing....

I conveniently forget about black flies every year 

until they are here again in May.

I liked the stones a lot... think I'll keep making them.