Sheep as Inspiration for Art

As a knitter, I have developed a deep appreciation for sheep. How could I not, considering all of the beautiful fiber they so generously share with us year after year? And so I am particular intrigued by Andy Goldsworthy's new book called Enclosure. It recounts in words and photos his Sheepfolds Project, for which he restored over 40 stone enclosures once used by farmers to shelter, count, and wash their sheep in six districts of Cumbria. In the introduction to the book, James Putnam explains: "Sheepfolds are beautiful and graphic reminders of the days of early shepherding out on the hill, on common land."

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The book also includes a collection of fascinating works related in various ways to sheep, for example, this shot (part of an 8-part series called "Wool Throws") of Goldsworthy tossing wool fleece into the air.

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And these works in which Goldsworthy incorporated wet (and sometimes frozen) wool into the landscape.
 
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