Why was an artist with no architectural experience inspired to design and build a five-story spiral house made of stone? Can a home designed as sacred architecture be a comfortable place to live in the 21st century? How does living in a sacred space support one’s path to awakening? These questions are answered in The Spiral House, the story of artist Tom Gottsleben and his wife, Patty Livingston, who spent 20 years exploring what it means to build and live in a home designed as a sacred space. This inspiring and informative book tells of Tom’s years exploring stone sculpture and landscaping walls, lifelong spiritual practice, an accidental discovery of sacred geometry, and how Patty’s pragmatic nature grounded the project in the practicalities of a comfortable home.
Although this is a personal story of one couple’s journey and their beautiful home and joyful approach to life, its purpose is to attune readers to seeing and creating sacred space in their own lives.
What Others Are Saying:
"Carved from bluestone and immersed in light, the Spiral House is a powerful example of sacred architecture. Seeing and being in it mirrors the ascendance of our own essence. Both the house and the book take you on an inspiring journey up to the sky."
— A.T. Mann, author of Sacred Architecture and Sacred Landscapes: The Threshold Between Worlds
"The Spiral House is a fresh and detailed look at how art and architecture can lead us to experience the sacred. Like the house at the heart of the story, the book is stunningly beautiful and inspiring."
— Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of Omega Institute, and author of Marrow and New York Times bestseller Broken Open
Artist Tom Gottsleben and his wife, Patty Livingston, have lived in the Hudson River Valley for more than three decades. Tom’s stone and crystal sculptures, which illuminate the harmony and beauty inherent in nature’s patterns, have been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Neuberger Museum of Art, Art Omi International, and the Museum at Bethel Woods. His work also appears in numerous private collections and is represented by the Elena Zang Gallery. Together, Tom and Patty, an artist and designer in her own right, created the Spiral House and gardens that are the subject of this book.
Ronnie Shushan is a writer, graphic designer, and former book editor at Doubleday. She co-authored a bestselling graphic design primer for electronic publishing with Microsoft Press and curated the art gallery feature in Spirituality & Health magazine.
ISBN: 978-0-9992430-1-5
317 pages, 2 gatefolds, 10.5 x 10.5", Jacketed hardcover
508 four-color images and diagrams
