Have a look at the artwork Kilkenny Limestone Circle by Richard Long. Here is a stone circle indoors. In Ireland you usually find stone circles outdoors in fields. Unlike Kilkenny Limestone Circle, outdoor stone circles were made a long time ago. Also, this stone circle is an artwork, whereas the ones outdoors are ancient monuments. In one important way though, all stone circles are the same—only human beings make them. When we are in the countryside and we see stones arranged in a perfect circle, it tells us that somebody else was here before us.
Making art outdoors from natural materials is often called “Land Art.” The natural materials can include leaves, rocks, sand ,twigs, flowers … or anything that you can find in nature. Richard Long goes for walks in the countryside and makes sculptures out of things that he finds along the way. Often he will leave the artwork there for people to discover. Sometimes the artworks survive for many years, especially if they are made with rocks. Sometimes the natural materials slowly fall apart and gradually fade back into nature.
Click here for a video of some of Long’s sculptures—he loves making lines and circles!
What you will need:
Gather any natural material that is easy for you to find in your garden or local park. Always ask an adult first if it’s okay to collect or use these materials for this art project.
For our project, we used:
- Pebbles
- Seeds
- Leaves
- Flowers
- And some salt from the kitchen!
Now, let’s get to work:
- Start by gathering your materials. Look for different textures—lots of different colours can look really good together.
- Make a shape with pebbles or stones—a circle, a square or a triangle … you decide.
- Fill in the shape carefully with your materials until you have a pattern that you are happy with.
Try making it outside on the ground. It works best on a calm day and remember, you can’t use any glue!
Land Art can be made anywhere—on the beach, in a forest, or the park. Leave it there for someone else to discover.
Always take a photograph of your creation when you’re finished! And please, share your results, your experiments, and artworks with the hashtag #ExploreratHome
