Original: oil on canvas, 48 inches in diameter © Lee Robinsong 1985
In October of 1984, Lee Robinsong journeyed to Glastonbury, England, from the Hollyhock Farm (now the Hollyhock Retreat Centre) on British Columbia’s Cortes Island.
His voyage was inspired by a fascination for the seven-circuit labyrinth and its appearance over time in many unconnected lands. The ancient cultures that occupied the places now known as Arizona, Scandinavia, Ireland, Britain, Crete and Egypt all embraced this simple yet complex design as an important symbol of their cosmology.
Through research, Lee understood that Glastonbury Tor, the legendary hill rising out of the Somerset Levels, might be a three-dimensional labyrinth of the same design. It’s also thought to be the mythical home of King Arthur, and the possible site of the early arrival of Christianity in Britain, through Joseph of Arimathea, that inspired William Blake’s mystical hymn And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time.
Lee spent several days walking the Tor, following the twists and turns of its eroded pathways. Upon his return to Hollyhock, he painted the Somerset landscape in late autumn, with the Tor at its centre. “Glastonbury Tor” was completed in January 1985, in Hollyhock’s Raven building, then Lee’s studio.
“Glastonbury Tor” is dedicated to Peg Post, Hollyhock visionary, benefactor and the generous sponsor of the creation of this painting.
