Pho
tog
rap
hy^ J
am
es^ B
run
t
mindful art
CalmMoment.com 57Words: Gabrielle JaffeLeave ‘artistic ability’ at the front door and head into nature to
make outdoor art; you’ll discover a meditative experience
Art in nature
I
f you go down to Anston Stones Wood today,
you may be in for a surprise. For this limestone
forest near Sheffield, UK, is used as an open-air
studio by James Brunt (jamesbruntartist.co.uk).
On any given day, unsuspecting walkers might
chance upon his hypnotic designs. Under the yew,
beech and ash canopy, beside brooks frequented by
woodpeckers and blue kingfishers, he creates patterns
out of sticks and leaves. The concentric circles and
spirals he fashions appear to be both a natural part of
the landscape and otherworldly, like woodland crop
circles or rings left behind by fairies.“I’ve always been an artist, but I never felt fulfilment
until I started doing this work,” says James, who
studied Fine Art at the Byam Shaw School and worked
in galleries in London before returning to his native
South Yorkshire 20 years ago. Depending on their
complexity, James’ installations take anywhere
between two and six hours to create. Although he
heads to the woods most days, he only works when
the opportunity presents itself. “I might come across
a composition where the landscape looks right, or the
right moment where a tree has shed a load of catkins.
If I don’t find anything, I don’t force anything,” he says.