There are 3 things I enjoy about painting rocks, especially these rocks. 1st. It brings me back to the Bouquet River, finding my favorite site in the Hemlock forest on the way to Keene Valley. It's a place I discovered over a decade ago where the light changes from dappled yellow to green filtering in through pine branches and the forest floor is a silent carpet of burnt sienna pine needles with the suprise of a crimson salamander. The scent of balsam permeates the air and the sound of rapid water over the rocks make speaking impossible. 2nd. Constructing a rock painting is like building a stone wall. One has to work rock by rock so the pieces of the painting have to all fit together like an Adirondack fireplace. 3rd. I can be endlessly inventive with marks, lines, textures and even color as I work. My rocks are made of slashes, squiggles and many built up layers of calligraphic marks. Pastel gives me immediate freedom of color and gesture that describes for me the feeling of moving water. It may seem photographic from a distance but on closer inspection I try to be loose and very expressionistic. pastel on sanded paper18x26in.
