Sacred Wall Art

an Abby Willowroot Workshop

Welcome to the adventure of creating your own personal Sacred Spaces !

It is fun, easy, powerful, and a wonderful way to celebrate the Goddess.

I began creating these wall images of Nature and the Goddess in 1981 with my then partner, Liz Stillwater. Since that time, I have created many of these powerful pieces in private spaces and Earth oriented businesses. One of these Wall Goddesses is at Triskellion Metaphysical in Campbell, CA. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to share the process with you.

You do not need to be an artist or a carpenter to enrich your space with several of these wonderful images. All you need is a few simple tools and the desire to celebrate the visions and dreams that are inside of you. There is great power in building your own Sacred Image, since it will contain your energy and your spirit. No two are ever alike, and that is part of the magic of this process. So gaze at the candle, imagine your own sacred space and lets begin.

These Wall Images can be built from Fiberboard (the least expensive) for about $9.00 for a 4 x 8 sculpture. They can also be made of foam core, plywood, cardboard or paper mache. I favor fiberboard because it doesn't splinter and it is very durable.
You will Need: A Jigsaw (scroll saw), hammer, spackle, nails, sandpaper, a pencil, and great music to listen to. If you are working with foamcore or cardboard, you can use a #11 Exacto knife instead of the Jigsaw.

The first step is to decide what you want to create. You may wish to start with something small like a moon, or cauldron, but this is not necessary. Once you have chosen a design, draw it on the fiberboard with a pencil, you can correct your design as often as you need to, till it looks just right. Do NOT judge yourself, just play and have fun with it!

These are just some simple sketches of possible designs. Trust that whatever you sketch will look great, because it will!

The Large Goddess in the photo was made using the pieces you see at the top, a simple body outline, 4 half circle pieces for breasts(1larger & 1 smaller one, on top of each other for each breast), a triangle for the vulva, a narrow piece for the nose, and a curved piece for the brow. Additional 3D effect was added by dragging a drill across the torso to make lines at Her waist.

The most important part is remembering to play and enjoy the process. The more you enjoy it, the better your sculpture will be.
Possible designs you can make are: Goddesses & Gods, GreenMan, Moon, Trees, Megaliths, Snakes, Fae, Archways, Cauldrons, Obelisks, Dancing Circles, Dolphins, Waves, and for the truly ambitious, Sacred Groves and clearings. The Sacred Groves can cover all the walls in a room and take many sheets of fiberboard.

Once you have drawn your design, put on safety goggles and begin to cut the wood with the Jigsaw. Just follow the line you have made. You do not need to cut it all at once, stop whenever you like to check your progress. Save the scraps, you may want them later for moons, stars or whatever. . . . . Once you have you basic form cut out, nail or screw it to the wall. If you rent, screwing it into the wall is a good idea, you can easily take it with you when you move.

Spackle around the edges of the fibreboard so that your sculpture appears to be a permanent part of the building. It should look as if it is “growing” out of the wall. Once spackle is dry, you can sand it, if you like. . . . . . . . Now it is time to cut out any additions to your sculture, breasts, leaves, facial features etc. The details that will give it a 3D quality. I have found that the simpler they are, the more power they have. Do them just as you did the main piece. . . . . . . Nail the details onto your sculpture and spackle around the edges, and smooth with your hands. (a little water on your fingers works great). . . . . . If you want more relief, for breasts or other details, cut another piece smaller than the first detail piece and nail it on too. Then fill with spackle to get the desired effect. When the spackle dries you are ready to sand and/or paint.

I like to paint my Sculptures the same color as the wall, because I like the base relief effect it gives. I use the shadows that come from candle light and other lamps to create a very dramatic and wonderful shadow-play across the sculpture. . . . . . If you like color, by all means use it! There is no right way to do these, the only requirement is that you are careful with the tools you are using, so that you do not injure yourself.

You can texture the surface or leave it smooth, (I like smooth most of the time.) You can drill holes into it, (pointing down, not into the wall) to hold feathers, leaves, flowers, crystals, (incense is NOT a good ideas for fire reasons.). . . . . You will find that your Wall Image becomes a altar space, it cannnot help but draw energy and blessings into your home. Enjoy!!!!!