Noel Ashton - Mindful Nature
Creative Journeys - Transformative Stories
There is a part of each of us held in these stories, for they are a search for what it means to be human.
Our journeys through life are uncertain and unformed, but one thing is certain, that woven into this unfolding mystery is the knowing that we do not walk this world alone, and that each of our stories have the opportunity to touch the hearts of others, and our understanding and experiences can become the signposts to help guide a pathway home
Noel Ashton has be described as many things, including a sculptor, author, environmental scientist, photographer, poet, and son of Africa, but in truth at his heart he is a creative storyteller, and his words and artworks the touchstones that he offers us as a way to reconnect with something deep within ourselves.
“ I have found that artworks, each in a unique way, have such an important and valuable role to play in our modern lives, for they have a way to touch our souls, to take us on journeys and see ourselves more clearly, to help us heal, and to bring us back to the joy within ourselves.
Although they are silent and without words, artworks can speak to us. And, if at first they appear to be inanimate and unmoving, they hold within them the gentle power to touch our hearts, and this can help us to see the world differently.
In this they become the signposts to the Storylines along the journeys of our own remembering.”
Re-connecting with nature Re-membering who we are Rediscovering our common humanity
Mapungubwe Revisited
A unique project in collaboration with WWF, Mapungubwe Revisited explores our relationship with the natural world through the perspective of two sculptors working over 800 years apart, and seeks to understand how our perceptions of the natural world have changed over time. This project raised over R500.00.00 for rhino conservation whilst inviting audiences to reconsider how we see this iconic species, and ourselves
"It could be said that, to the people of Mapungubwe, this little gold rhino represented a sacred thread of belonging...and eight hundred years later, it offers us a signpost to something that we might have forgotten but fortunately not lost, for it can remind us that the natural world around us is so much more than a commodity, a space or a view, it is an intrinsic part of who we are and where we have come from, and each rhino killed or tract of land destroyed is another part of ourselves lost, making visible the deep connection we have with the natural world, a connection which sustains our souls and reminds us to tread more lightly upon the earth".
where ancient meets contemporary
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The Ubuntu Bowl
Rosetta naturae
Sculptures
to know again what it is to walk upon the earth
with a feeling of deep belonging...
Rosetta naturae
To walk upon the earth is to re-awaken something hidden within ourselves, for although it is said that we re-connect with nature, it is in fact us reconnecting to our inner knowing, with who we are. And if it is our wish to reconnect with nature, time with the whisper of the winds and the flickering light upon the surface of a gentle stream will invite us to pause, and help us to reconnect with our own truth, and then we will remember that we are not separate from nature, we are a part of it, and we shall feel like we have come home.
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It is the tracks that I follow into the light of the dawn that invite me into this landscape of belonging, for in them I see my own journey through life and my search for place. And in this silent moment I begin to awaken to the inner knowing that this is where my soul senses home and where my spirit finds the space to roam.
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And in the strangest way, it is here that I begin to understand what it means to be human
Engaging with the natural world as a pathway to re-discovering our own inner human nature
Given context and direction from this unique sculpture, Rosetta Naturae is an ongoing immersive programme that offers us pathways towards re-connection, and glimpses of respite from the rigors and artificial pace of the modern world. The tracks of time that cross the sculpture capture the essence of what it means to engage fully in an experience, and to begin to translate meaning between our modern world and the space of nature, for it is when we leave the world of man that we start to glimpse what it means to be human in a wider living universe.
Do you know of the fox in the shadows that silently watches as you pass by, or witness the return of the swallows as a gift of spring’s awakening? And in the silence of these encounters do they awaken something deep within you, for they each hold the possibility of inviting us to a fuller and richer experience of life.
And in knowing them we can know ourselves better.
And do you remember that moment when you realized that we do not walk this world alone, and that the raven and the rhino share our journey through life on this beautiful blue planet in an infinite galaxy of stars?
A pathway into nature is a journey back to our true selves
“An artist with a poetic soul”
T.H. Chairman SATA 2012
The Ubuntu Bowl and other journeys to reawaken the kindness in our hearts, the joy in our lives and compassion in the world.
The Ubuntu Bowl
"Out of Noel Ashton's studio comes another thought provoking sculpture, but this one is different, for he has now taken his vision as a storyteller to a new level by inviting us to pause and look more closely at our own lives. He entices us with the possibility that, by questioning how the modern world has shaped us in ways where we have become lost to who we really are, we can then begin to remember what it means to be human along a journey of self rediscovery,
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Along the way he offers us the tantilizing possibility that we might be able to bring more joy and meaning into our everyday lives, and at the same time shift our relationship with the environment. Talk about killing two birds with one stone - in a figurative environmentally friendly way of course. Not to be missed!" pb2021
“Whenever I speak to anyone about The Ubuntu Bowl and its message, I find a resonance, an understanding that seems to cut through all the barriers and divisions we have created in our over-complicated lives, and I see how it is a universal language, it is known and felt, it strikes a deep chord and moves people in the process of remembering because it makes our humanity visible. And because of this, it can give us hope.” Extract from 'The Ubuntu Bowl' 2021
A sense of place, exploring landscape
The eyes and heart of the artist never sleep, and to explores the green and pastural English landscape is to be continually inspired and driven to express the pure emotive response to this extraordinary land. But in its diversity comes the challenge of true expression, inviting the use of a range of mediums and visual languages with which to capture these encounters, and to then share them either as originals, or as limited edition glicee prints.
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"To paint English landscapes and pastoral scenes is to enter into a long and illustrious tradition of the highest standards, and although this is enough to make me waver at the first artistic challenge, my approach is not to follow in style or content, but to rather find my own voice by simply responding to what I see, to what moves me and inspires me to paint. These are the paintings I wish to hang on my own walls for they take me to such special places and wonderful memories, and I hope the viewer can share in the joy of this artisic journey"
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