Fall Equinox Edition 2020 - Inspired by Beauty (Carmen Retzlaff)
“Burrowing Owl” by Elizabeth Escalona O’Brien
Inspired by Beauty (Fall Equinox Edition 2020)
Welcome to AllCreation.org and our 2020 Fall Equinox edition. We have moved to publishing our online magazine quarterly, on the solstices and equinoxes, marking the natural rhythm of the earth year, delineated by the tilt of the earth as it makes it path around the sun. This equinox occurs at 8:30 AM on Sept 22 this year. In the Northern Hemisphere, we begin the move toward longer nights and winter, while in the south, the world becomes warmer and days lengthen.
The burrowing owl image here by featured artist Elizabeth O’Brien, is a creature who lives more by night than humans. We can wonder at the ways the rhythm of its life is shaped by earth’s orbit and this time of balance - equal day and night - at the autumnal equinox.
Enjoy this issue of AllCreation.org. In addition to the nine pieces we have assembled for this edition, we encourage you to view the works of two our regular contributors, Deborah Kennedy and Mary Plate DeJong. You can read their previous AllCreation posts here and here.
Animal Icons - Our feature this month is artwork by Elizabeth Escalona O’Brien, who creates nature-themed works that expresses her Christian beliefs. She brings to this issue a debut series of beautiful animal icons.
Beauty & Balance - BioIntegrity - Chris Searles, Executive Director of BioIntegrity.net, the parent organization of AllCreation.org. The equinox is a time to think about balance, and we are out of balance with our home.
Nature Themes in Native American Jewelry - Megan Concha continues a family jewelry crafting tradition on the Taos Pueblo, in which art, nature, and the divine are inextricably interconnected.
Art In and From Nature - The Practice of Nature Mandalas - Pastor Wendy Janzen, Ontario. Mennonite pastor Wendy Janzen makes temporary spiral art seasonally from found natural materials in Ontario.
Natural Art Materials - Paint-maker Anong Beam creates watercolor pigments from materials gathered in Anishinaabe lands, as well as highlighting pigments from other paint traditions.
Advent & Lent Animal Devotionals - All Creation Waits and Wild Hope by Gayle Boss are recently-published Christian seasonal devotionals that feature animals and their stories in this environmental age.
Mayan Solstice Architecture at Chichen Itza - Many cultures have incorporated the annual path of the sun into sacred structures and cities, including the Mayans. The temple of Kukulkán at Chichen Itza displays the shadow of the serpent deity descending the monumental steps each equinox.
Contemporary Nature Artists - In addition, Elizabeth O’Brien has identified other artists whose work connects faith and nature imagery: Fr. Bob Gilroy, SJ; Susan Cohen Thompson; and Pamela Mauseth. Links to these artists’ sites will show nature themes connected to different traditions.
Prayer in Chinese Nature Painting - In his article, “The Prayers of the Chinese Nature Painters,” in Plough Quarterly, (Issue 25) August 12, 2020, Nathan Beacom describes the ancient practice of contemplative painting and deep knowledge of place that touches art in several wisdom traditions in China.
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