Shannon Hays-Truex
Labyrinth Artist
On a pilgrimage to France in 2007, I walked the labyrinth in the 12th century Gothic cathedral in Chartres for the first time. There, I discovered the transformative power of labyrinths, which inspired me to create labyrinths in the sand on the beach and to inscribe them in chalk on concrete. Walking a labyrinth became a regular sacred practice for me, a way to meditate and a way to connect more deeply with the natural world around me. Through my educational work with children, I explored different ways to make labyrinths, eventually developing a labyrinth kit called Labyrinth in a Bag. This kit contained 200 feet of cotton cord, allowing people of all ages to build a labyrinth, one five-foot length of cord at a time. It was then that I began creating labyrinth designs of my own and sharing them more broadly with the community.
As a labyrinth artist, I have been invited to provide labyrinths at special gatherings, educational programs, and festivals. For these labyrinths, I use five-foot lengths of derby rope, modeled after the kits containing cotton cord. While many of my public labyrinths have been nature-based, I have also developed numerous other non-traditional labyrinth designs. Since 2015, I have created hundreds of labyrinth designs and made more than 40 labyrinths for special gatherings, education programs, and public events. I have also made countless labyrinths in the mountains, at the beach, in the park, and in my yard.
Though non-traditional, my labyrinth designs offer new ways to explore both the mystery within ourselves and our interconnections with the world around us. As I walk through a labyrinth, I interact and connect with the configuration of the path and with my surroundings. I navigate interior and exterior dimensions of self, labyrinth, and world and feel at one with all that is. When I create labyrinths for others, my intent is to share the transformative power of labyrinths in new and exciting ways by creating unique configurations that reflect aspects of Nature and Sacred Geometry.
Labyrinths have become my passion and my art. In recent years, I have explored ways to convey the mystery of labyrinths through fine art, such as watercolor and acrylic paintings and block prints. I also create digitally enhanced art. I have also launched a new artistic endeavor to create images of my large-scale labyrinths using photography. Each photo aims to communicate a sense of place by highlighting iconic landforms and featuring ecologically important aspects of the natural world. I call this project Labyrinths In The Landscape: A Sacred Journey Into The Heart Of Nature.
Labyrinths In The Landscape: A Sacred Journey Into The Heart Of Nature
The purpose of this project is to create ephemeral labyrinths in natural settings, such as sandy beaches, mountain meadows, and arid deserts. Each labyrinth design will be unique and will harmonize with the environment. Settings will showcase iconic landforms, such as sea stacks on the Oregon coast, mountain peaks in the Cascade Range, and canyons carved by Ice Age floods. Others will highlight important ecological features, such as sea stars at the ocean, snow geese on a wetland, and wolves in the wilderness. Others still will be abstract or non-objective, yet complement their surroundings. Each labyrinth will be recorded through photography in a way that captures the unique qualities and natural beauty of the location. Each image will be an invitation to embark on a sacred journey into the heart of Nature.
