QuartzContinuing the theme of water. 23 Some went down to the sea in ships,doing business on the mighty waters;they saw the deeds of the Lord,his wondrous works in the deep.For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,which lifted up the waves of the sea.They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;their courage […]
It’s the summer, but just in case you are unable to take time out to stand on a bridge and watch the water, here is some light to bathe in. There is something important about the way in which just experiencing somethings builds us up. Or simply brings a smile to our faces and a […]
What was midsummer like? We have been busy in the last couple of weeks, so here is a short overview of some of what we have been up to. We gave away around twenty “Contact Cards” to people we chatted with over the course of the afternoon at Caerlaverock castle. Other artwork was available in […]
While I’m working on a report about all the activity over midsummer, here is a wee glimpse of some of the other art I have been working on. This is a set of nine illuminations described as fruit of the Spirit. Drawing them has helped me think about the presence of God. Perhaps a little […]
We will be holding a Midsummer Forest Church service on Sunday the 25th of June. We will meet at the castle road end car park near Caerlaverock castle at 3pm. https://goo.gl/maps/RQ8FqEaXA3Bpcst26 (54.97845046765338, -3.5229645328674453) We will walk up the hill to Wardlaw iron age fort. This is a farm track with steps. There are no facilities […]
Some thoughts on bells Whilst researching making an early medieval bell (to use at Caerlaverock on Saturday) I stumbled on the Latin for ‘bell’ used in Irish/Scottish texts, which is Clocca. The similarity with “clock” struck me, and I went back to working metal. I then started wondering about ways of telling the time, as […]
Becoming a patron of the arts used to be the privilege of the rich. Perhaps it would be seen as a duty, perhaps an expression of power and social ambition. Sometimes simply a tax dodge, but on other occasions passionate patrons could bankrupt themselves leaving contributions they believed contributed to the good of society at […]
#SensingSpirituality near midsummer at Caerlaverock 24th of June 2023 On Saturday the 24th of June Quartz will be presenting the opportunity for people to walk a Labyrinth. We will also interpret information about the first recorded farmers of the land. These were monks from Holme Cultrum Abbey across the Solway, which was at that time […]
Here is a curiosity to reflect on today. This is a league table ranking countries by what they contribute globally relative to their size. You can read the definition of good which is used, how the rankings are calculated and view a breakdown into categories of contribution. https://www.goodcountry.org/index/about-the-index/ Can you imagine a world where our […]
Use of the St John’s building Just in case you missed it, there are two opportunities to take part in the decision about whether the St Johns building can be used to conduct same sex marriages. Although, according to their conscience, clergy have been able to solemnise same sex marriages since 2017 the use of […]