soul marks, palm wackiness and other profound arty insights

So here is a photo of the splendid Carol Marples who made the wacky palms I so admired at the Edinburgh 2010 conference. I was oddly moved at the closing ceremony to see the head of one palm simply lying on the ground, blessing the pathway people took up to the Assembly room on the Mound. I immediately understood the allusion to Palm Sunday and thought, yes we are waiting for Christ to join us, we are ready to welcome him. Because Carol's palms are so colourful you couldn't really call them understated, yet the way they were used did not overplay the art itself - a gentle and deep gospel evocation came through, even if only passingly.
It's given me much food for thought and simply great pleasure and delight - it's pushed me to once more realise that I do not do enough art work and must get back to some soon - otherwise my soul will not be well marked.
Anyway you can find out more about Carol's work and workshop at Soul Marks, another good reason to go back to Edinburgh, there's a charity based there which uses the visual arts as tools for prayer, worship and community. It looks great fun.
You can also see more of Carol's work on the site of her church http://www.stjamesleith.org/index.htm
Sorry I didn't get to interview you Carol but maybe you'll make it to Geneva one day - or I'll make it back to Edinburgh.