Saturday, May 2, 2009

I Saw the School of the Pilgrim Today!

I saw the School of the Pilgrim today!

On 16 acres outside of Chapel Hill, NC, nearer to Hillsborough, there was a sculpture garden show at the home of artist Tinka Jordy and Mark Donley. What was incredible was not only the scupture, but the sculpture trail: we could walk in the forest amid the acreage, and here and there were statues planted in just the right space that would inspire one to meditate. The trail didn't have too many sculptures. They were poignantly placed, near trees and a large pond.

The idea of the School of the Pilgrim includes a chapel for worship; a meeting house with kitchen and meeting area for meals, coffee, and tea, and trails around the acreage for walking, giving people space to breathe and sit, talk with the Spirit and meditate, in God's sculptured forest/garden.

Here's a tid-bit behind the garden:

Tinka Jordy and her husband, Mark Donley, bought their cottage on 16 acres between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill in 1987. Jordy grew up in New Orleans, Donley in Massachusetts. "The climate here appealed to us both, and I needed more room to build a studio and kiln," Jordy said. She's been a professional artist for 32 years, working in high-fired stoneware clay.

Their garden has evolved slowly. "Mark had a very different concept of gardening than mine," Jordy said. She was used to the small, controllable patio gardens of New Orleans. He had more experience with large spaces and believes in developing the "bones" of the garden first. The bones of most gardens consist of the evergreens, trees and shrubs that form the basic structure and serve to enhance and showcase seasonal plants.

As her garden's bones developed, Jordy used open spaces for sculptures that could be moved once the space was needed.

Time to get this place up and running.

Click here for more.

Buen Camino!

Pace!

B


No comments: