LAND ART
Photography by Kevin Fryer
LEAVES OF STRENGTH
On New Year’s Day, I planted one hundred painted magnolia leaves in our town park, each carrying the word Strength. Over the next few weeks, every leaf found a home. The piece was part installation, part offering — an exploration of how strength can be both created and shared.
What are Land Art and Nature Doodles?
If you haven’t heard of land art (sometimes called environmental art), look up Andy Goldsworthy — he’s the granddaddy and gold star of the genre. His work is large and involved, which is why I call mine “nature doodles.”
​
Here’s what makes them different:
​
-
Small scale — most take about 15 minutes, none more than two hours.
-
​Simple materials — gathered from the 2.5-mile Crocker Park Trail near my home.
-
​Spontaneous spirit — sometimes they just appear when the mood strikes.
-
​Community installations — I’ve also created larger works in Brisbane’s public parks.
Why do I nature doodle?
I could give you all the science — fresh air lowers stress hormones, gentle walks strengthen the body, time in nature restores the spirit. But honestly? I started because I hate the gray days of winter. Nature doodling became my way to turn something I dreaded into a game: stepping outside, moving, and creating.​
Now, in my 60s, I see it as more than a pastime. Playing with leaves, sticks, and stones is as good for my brain as exercise is for my body. It’s simple, silly, joyful — and it keeps me expanding.
I PLAY WITH STICKS.
Some people climb mountains, or
make hats.
I play with sticks and stones.
Why? I was recently asked.
Go for a walk, and the monkey
mind rides on your shoulder jabbering
away the whole time. But
pick up a stone and balance it on
a stick and the brain flutters away.
Silence.
Slide a bead onto a weed
Press a berry into a tree trunk
Slather a branch with blackberry
juice
Poke a stone into a crevice
Hang a flower from the wrong tree
Align stones on a branch
Surround a puddle with petals
Paint stripes on a limb
Meditation—
to focus one’s mind for a period
of time, in silence, as a method of
relaxation.
Tie
Weave
Arrange
Dangle
Stack
Bind
Connect
Why?
To behold nature in a different
way
To create something and let it go
To express, unattached
To give freely
To bring a smile to my face
and to the faces of others
To invite others to join me
Nature is our playground
It is our art store
Every stone as media
Every stick as decor
Every smile as reward.
​
— Deanna Washington, January 2021
