Saint Francis

Saint Francis of Assisi is one of my favourite saints. He is known as the patron saint of animals, birds, and the environment. Introduced to the lives of saints, both mainstream and obscure, by my grandmother, I continue being fascinated by stories of St. Francis communicating in prayerful and mystic ways with birds, wolves, dogs and other fauna and flora: stories that exemplify the Franciscan mode of charity and poverty as well as the saint’s love of the natural world.

This post features a timely sculpture of St. Francis. Timley insofar that I am travelling to San Francisco for one week. From the outset, I have planned my time away as a pilgrimage. I know the city quite well, having visited previously for vacation and work.  Aesthetically and geographically, it’s a beautiful place with a tremendous ambience. Repeatedly, I come home from visiting this city with a sense of comfort and peace, coupled with an inexplicable sense of familiarity that (at the risk of cliche), reminds me of a home away from home.

In 1776, the Spanish settled upon a tip of part of the American West Coast peninsula, establishing a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission (Mission Dolores) named for Francis of Assisi: hence, “San Francisco.”  Mission Dolores, the city’s oldest building, and Grace Cathedral which features a labyrinth are two sites that are important for me to visit during this forthcoming trip. I hope to undertake a mediative walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, which on a previous work-related stay, provided unexpected and much needed relaxation made even more wondrous due to a thick shroud of fog that lingered from one end to the other.

With regard to this post, St. Francis stands approximately 37 centimetres and is a papier mache sculpture. He wears clothing salvaged from a very pre-loved shirt, so beyond repair that I can’t give it to charity. For warmth, he wears a combination of fur, brushed off my two much-adored dogs that is mixed with my own hair. From the centre of his chest emerges a paper-clay moulded face of Christ. He carries a bird on a branch (a vintage cereal-box toy from the 1970s).

It is a very rewarding experience to create submissions for the 100-art-dolls challenge. I never underestimate the therapeutic qualities of creating art, regardless of the medium. During the creation of St. Francis, I reflected upon the values and virtues that embody his legend and how they play a role in how I make meaning of my own life. In a sense I am preparing for my pilgrimage and this submission is a symbol of the values and relationship with the natural world that I commit to practicing in my life.

Bon voyage

(This post relates to Saint Francis, Arrigo Dorissa art doll #11, March 2008)