Sometimes there are good explanations as to why stones have holes in them. Lava is one of them. All the boiling bubbling lava suddenly hardens to rock when it hits the cold outer surface of the planet. All of these … Continue reading Rocks with Holes in Them
The rocks on the beach at Botany Bay are an intriguing compound rock consisting of striations of a black-slate like rock butting up against worn grey and white stone with undulating formations. A pencil sketch of the rocks at Botany … Continue reading Inspiration from the Striated Rocks at Botany Bay on Vancouver Island
Jade comes in two recognized forms: Nephrite and Jadeite. Although they are distinctly different under the microscope they both share a certain ‘toughness’. This means that they both are easily carved without small pieces accidentally breaking off. And of course, … Continue reading Jade, a Green Semi-Precious Stone
There’s nothing more magical than finding a shiny shell and knowing you’re the first person to have seen it for 150 million years.” David Attenborough, talking about hunting for fossils. My first fossil discovery wasn’t shiny at all, or a … Continue reading Magical Fossils
Food & art: ‘themed’ snacks designed by the caterer for my art show ‘Precious Stones‘. I was told that he came in and took photos of my exhibit and then went back and designed these amazing platters of food. Cheese, … Continue reading Still Life Arrangements of Food
When I initially wrote this the exhibit wasn’t due to go up until the weekend and I was in the throes of planning and packing up paintings, hoping the walls would look something like this! My plan for the Britannia … Continue reading My Exhibition at Britannia Art Gallery in Vancouver
A collection of inspiration gathered in my last trip to Scandinavia. Chalk Cliffs. At Stevns Klint the white chalk cliffs are embedded with dark flint nodules. (Stevns Klint and the Fish Clay) Flint. Flint has a natural sheen and is … Continue reading Inspiration from Denmark & Sweden (& Iceland)
Hey, everybody, I’m planning a small show called ‘Precious Stones’ at Britannia Art Gallery this summer. I’m still selecting what to put into it but perhaps something like this collection. Trio of Pebbles, permanently mounted into custom shadow frames with … Continue reading Plan for Britannia Exhibition
I saw this black and white Pegmatite rock in the National History Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. I thought the patterns on it were amazing and certainly worth a painting.Later I saw this wall in a high-end shop made up of … Continue reading Patterned Stones in Black & White & In Between
Smooth Grey: Smooth beach pebbles, the kind people like to roll around in their hands in a meditative way. And small children, rather alarmingly, like to put them in their mouths. On a trip to Bagenkop Beach with my cousin I … Continue reading Smooth Water-Washed Pebbles
