This bloke travels the wilderness and creates mandala art for randoms to stumble on

Credit: James Brunt

This bloke travels the wilderness and creates mandala art for randoms to stumble on

Art’s a bloody funny thing. Trying to put your finger on exactly what it is can be a bit tricky, but you know it when you see it. And what’s actually kinda weird about that is that sometimes it strikes us in strange ways. Like, the kid who couldn’t colour between the lines but could make a bloody gun booger sculpture might just be the next artistic ‘genius’. Similarly, if you told your mates you were using rocks, sticks and leaves to create ‘art’, your mates’d probably call you a drongo. And they’d be right. Unless you’re James Brunt.

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

Yeah, nah, in that case they’d be wronger than a disgruntled dingo’s donger. Because you only have to look at this s**t to be like, ‘Yeah, fair go, mate,’ and be happy to call it art. Don’t get us wrong; we’re not saying it’s as good as a booger sculpture, but it’s pretty good stuff.

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

To make his art, James goes on missions around his home county of Yorkshire in the land of Pom. Once he’s out there, we reckon he’s like the kid who’s just got to smell every flower, examine every stick and investigate every rock. Yeah, he’s romantic (in the poetic sense), whimsical and probably – if you’re trying to walk to the pub with him – annoying as f**k.

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

Still, it’s not like Brunt’s some sort of idiot savant. He’s not just randomly making spirals. He’s got a code of ethics and he takes his work pretty bloody seriously. “I am very conscious of the environment around me and take into consideration many things when deciding to make a piece of work.”

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

And, seriously, he’s a top bloke by the look of it. Here’s how he describes his code:

  1. I don’t take stones away from their habitat.
  2. If working in a popular resort, that welcomes and relies on tourism, I have no issues of moving stones around on a beach, they move twice a day with the tide anyway. Where possible I collect stones from gathered piles, so not partially buried stones if I can avoid it.
  3. If I plan to work in a more sensitive site, I check. For example, recently I went to Spurn Point, a nature reserve. I contacted them first to firstly see if they objected, and secondly asked about any considerations re habitat and species that I should be aware of. I took on board that advice. They were though, very keen that I went there to work.
  4. In woodlands, If you look at my work, you’ll see that the majority (90% ish) is created directly on existing paths. I don’t want to go trampling flora in the pursuit of making work. The majority of the 10% that is off path, is created in public parks.
  5. I don’t (I have in the past) work in flowing water. It’s a personal thing, but I can see the impact on displacement in this situation and don’t particularly see the benefit in me doing so.
  6. I don’t over populate environments with loads of installations. I make a piece of work, which often when finished, will last no longer than a couple of hours (often less).”

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

Credit: James Brunt

All in all, we reckon this is a great way to add a bit of wonder to anyone’s bushwalk. If you want to check out more of Bruntsy’s stuff, hit him up on his website: http://www.jamesbruntartist.co.uk/

Credit: James Brunt

Final thought: We don’t want to come across like big hippies or anything, but we love this stuff. There’s just something inherently holistic and aesthetically pleasing about it. Have a bloody squiz and let us know your thoughts on the Facebook page.

Just in case you missed it, here’s one of Ozzy’s latest commentary videos…Ozzy Man Reviews: Brisbane Lions 2019 Highlights

Video Link: That’s North Yorkshire TV

H/T: THE WILD CHILD.