30 July 2013

One little rock

 

I spent a few hours at the sea recently, on my way to see my daughter drumming in the end-of-the week concert at CampRock. The train stopped in the town of Cecina, and from there I turned west and headed toward the sea. After about forty-five minutes, the Umbrella Pine-lined road brought me to the water's edge. The beaches in this area are naturally stony (though sand is sometimes brought in to complete the picture of a proper seaside), and where the water meets the land I started noticing little rocks (stones? I am never quite sure just what distinguishes one from the other) traced with intriguing white lines, some straight, others circular. As I continued along the shore, I picked up several to bring home to the studio for further study—each was unique—but it seemed ridiculous (and a bit greedy!) to take so many, so in the end I chose my favorite. It has come around with me quite a bit lately, but finally made it onto the studio table. And then onto my tea tray. And the series of photos that follows could perhaps be called 'Anatomy of a rock'.




 

Photographing the rock's many faces led to more image-making. The deep gray called to mind that of my collection of new pencils (among them a dozen Palomino Blackwing 602s). Likewise, the Japanese tea pot on the platinum-rimmed 'tray'. And the rippled reflections of the amber glass I've been using as a pencil holder also captured my fancy (below), reminding me of July's reflection in my 'Arno Reflected' calendar (in the image at the top of the post). I love discovering these little connections between things as I go along, and it's been a while since I've had time to play around with the camera like this...



 

Glancing back through the last few weeks' photos, I then came across this stand of candles in Montepulciano's Cathedral. Their shape echoes the long slender Blackwing pencils, and even the golden flames seem to be mimicking the shiny gold eraser holders.





And yesterday I made a quick watercolor in indigo (still on my mind after this month's ROY G BIV challenge, mentioned in the last post). As an homage to the tradition of Batik, which I associate with the color of indigo, I'd love to explore this idea further using a wax resist technique.


 

I will continue to turn over the image of my pretty rock & its pattern of crisscrossing white lines in my mind, even as my daughter & I head for a much-looked-forward-to week at the sea. This brings brings me to my word for July: wander. As we began the month, we shall end itwanderingthough this time a little closer to home... 

Here's hoping that, summer or winter, you are finding joy in this season.

 

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Below (as well as the image next to the indigo watercolor) is the sea at Cecina, upon whose shores my little rock came to rest...




12 comments:

  1. Anonymous30 July, 2013

    beautiful!
    you know how I love a stripey rock
    such serene images...

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    1. Thank you, Elizabeth! I have always understand the allure of stripey rocks, but can't remember actually being presented with so many at once. They are inspiring all sorts of ideas!
      - Lisa

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  2. I love the "stream of consciousness" of your images...how one thing leads to another... That striped stone (I always think of stones as smooth and rounded and rocks as jagged...but that's just me)is beautiful. I'm looking forward to more images, especially painted ones! Enjoy your holiday with your daughter.

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    1. Hi Julie - I like the distinction you make between rocks & stones, and it feels right ('stone' seems like a 'smoother' word, while 'rock' is 'bolder'/'harsher' - not sure why I started thinking of my find as a rock, but it stuck.
      Thank you for the travel wishes - the Lido in Venice was LOVELY! I'll write about it soon, but am off on another little trip this afternoon...
      - Lisa

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  3. I love your thought associations too. That beautiful little rock takes on new meanings and invites me to ponder on its shape and nature's 'design'. The watercolour is so lovely! Reading this post I found myself in an intimate space of pleasure and ponderings.

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments, Ersi. It's amazing how one little found object can inspire so many seemingly unrelated ideas/thoughts...one of the best rewards of taking some time to follow the creative process. I wonder what would happen if we could allow ourselves to spend a whole week, or month, or year, with a single object as inspiration for everything else. I think it would be an interesting journey.
      Take care, Ersi...
      - Lisa

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  4. Living and learning. Rock x stone. Rock and roll x Rolling stones.
    Are stones small and rocks big? Gems are precious stones not rocks...

    http://geologywriter.com/blog/stories-in-stone-blog/rock-or-stone-is-there-a-difference/

    How nice it is to have time to think about things like this, to find the right word that better describes something.
    Thanks Lisa for sharing your charmy stone with us. Vera

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    1. Hi Vera! Thanks for the link - it's interesting to read & compare various possibilities for the definitions of/distinction between rocks & stones. I also find it interesting that, to me, the object I picked up at the edge of the sea became 'rock' upon sight, even though in retrospect 'stone' does seem the more fitting name for it (even intuitively).
      I love your curiosity with such things, and appreciate you sharing your 'research'!
      - Lisa

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  5. Love all about this, I am currently working on my 2013 Alchemy Series which uses sacred geometry and I found this not only beautiful but fascinating :)

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    1. Thank you, Patrick! Your 'Alchemy Series' sounds intriguing...I'll have to wander over to your blog for a look...
      - Lisa

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  6. First night visiting your blog and I had to comment on this post! I too love rocks and have them scattered around my house. Your photographs are amazing. I too think about the taking of them and how if we all took bunches of rocks home...what would be left on the shore? You may enjoy the book "If You Find a Rock"...it's a gem :)
    I read it for blog post a while back, but my self-video techniques don't do the artwork justice at all!
    Thank you for sharing your rock!
    http://pomegranatetrail.blogspot.com/2013/09/if-you-find-rock.html

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    1. Hello Nancy ~ Thanks so much for leaving a comment - I'm glad you enjoyed the post! And now I am over for a look at your reading of "If You Find a Rock"...it sounds intriguing. I am equally intrigued by the name of your blog, as I absolutely love pomegranates - looking forward to seeing what it's all about..
      - Lisa

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