Stoneweaving: Spirit-Infused Earth Sculpture
Origins
After visiting Japan in 2017, I was inspired by Mizuhiki (水引), an ancient Japanese art form using a special cord to tie intricate basketry knots to wrap gifts on special occasions, create art, and even tie up the long hair of the samurai! This 1000-year old custom symbolizes the ties of unity that bind us.
Mizuhiki’s symbolism of unity combined with my love of Lake Superior stones, knots, and black ash basketry has evolved into the art form I call “Stoneweaving”, now part of my daily meditation practice with spirit guiding each creation.
Materials
Natural materials from the Lake Superior shoreline ground this creative practice in respectful relationship with the land. The stones determine the weave, each one uniquely shaped by time and the waters of this inland sea, then woven and accented with materials native to this area including black ash, buckskin leather, birch bark, driftwood, and natural fibers.
Sometimes stones and materials gathered along my travels to other lands find their way into the weave.
Process
Another meditative process called the “Flow Game” inspired this final piece of the process. From a grounded place, I draw an inquiry card from an ever-growing set of questions related to my leadership development work. The cards always seem to know what message the stone weaving is offering, and a question is included with each stoneweaving, surfacing the deeper spirit of connection.
Read more about the Flow Game and how you can ‘play’ this intuitive game, guided by a Flow Game host like me.
About the Artist
I am Tracy Chaplin and I’m enjoying this creative process, wherever it may lead. Duluth, Minnesota is my chosen home, where the land, water, and people connect to create a deeply rich and vibrant community. Stoneweaving is one of my creative pursuits, along with my primary work in collaborative leadership through my company, Co-Nexio.
Stoneweaver came into form while participating in a guided 100-day creativity project during the summer of 2021, to give myself permission to be creative every day.
Deep gratitude for our guide and those who witnessed my progress. This evolution has been truly unexpected, filled with healing and joy. I hope these stone sculptures bring you joy as well!
“In my humble opinion that has been modified by attending hundreds of galleries and art fairs over 60+ years, your rock art is creative and beautiful and I have never seen anything quite like it.”
Land Acknowledgment
Duluth is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands called home by the Ojibwe people. Ceded by the Ojibwe in an 1854 treaty, this land holds great historical, spiritual, and personal significance for its original stewards, the Native nations and peoples of this region. I humbly acknowledge and advocate for the sovereignty of the Native nations in this territory and beyond.
In gratitude, Stoneweaver contributes a percentage of every sale to Indigenous causes in the Great Lakes region.