From the Drip Period or the Jurassic Period? Abstract rock photo by Mark Graf
I am quite backlogged on my Inspired by Stone project. I have been collecting various pieces of stone over the years such that my office is beginning to resemble a small rock quarry. The problem is, I have been collecting them faster than I have been able to photograph them all.
This is a rather large piece of Cherry Creek jasper. When I say large, I mean about 4 inches by 3 inches or so. The characteristics that attracted me to this piece were that it resembled some abstract expressionism work by painter Jackson Pollock. Pollock became more well known when his abstract paintings were published in Life magazine in 1949. His paintings were created not by brushes, but by dripping paint onto a canvas on the floor. It was declared quite an original approach at the time. The cracks, splotches, and lines in this piece of stone reminded me of those very drips.
I am sure people would contemplate what he saw in his mind, why he created this line vs. that splotch in that spot. I wonder similar things. What was going on in the Earth when this line was formed, or that black spot? What made this red flow next to this yellow?
These drips and splotches were formed well before anyone ever heard of Jackson Pollock, or perhaps even human beings or art. I highly doubt Pollock was inspired by slices of stone, but I find it quite interesting how there can be such a close resemblance. My hand did not create such colors, lines, and arrangement to each other. If I had painted this, using drips on a canvas, someone might say I was working in the style of Pollock. Maybe even copying him. However, this isn’t a photograph of a Pollock painting or even something created by man.
I picked elements that were there and formed a frame around them, and aligned them within. I extracted a section of this stone that I found to have harmony and balance. If painters of that time were called abstract expressionists, perhaps one might consider pieces like this abstract extractionism. Since “extractionism” doesn’t seem to exist in my dictionary, you can say you read it here first. 🙂
EDIT 11sept11: I should have went to a greater authority than my dictionary on the term. Turns out Google is quite familiar with “Abstract Extractionism.” Fortunately the definition seems to be in line with what I was thinking here. There is one artist that claims to have a trademark on the term, however, I don’t see any valid trademarks in the US Trademark database. How is this for a circular mind bender: I draw a parallel from this stone to Pollock, assuming Pollock was never aware of such a stone, the stone existed before Pollock. I “coin” a term that I never knew existed, but actually did before I “coined” it. 🙂
More stone abstract pictures in my gallery here.
Great Photo,your blog is really interesting and good, this is my first time visiting here
Hi Mark, I’m so glad you commented on our blog so that I could “discover” your work. This is really gorgeous and it does remind me of Jackson Pollack’s work. I wonder if he was inspired by natural patterns such as the ones in this rock.
I will enjoy looking through your blog this afternoon.
Sharon
Great, great photo Mark. Work like this really makes my pulse pound.
I’ve been influenced a great deal by the abstract expressionists myself, and find your term ‘extractionism’ interesting, and maybe more accurate, though I’m not really all that concerned about the words. The quality of the work is what counts, and this ranks right up there as being as fine a piece of work as I’ve seen. Again, great stuff.
Thanks PJ. Yes, I identify a lot of my work as extractionist. Maybe photography in general can be seen in such a way.
Mark, happy to see a return to these rock studies. I’ve always appreciated your unique ability to capture their beauty and essence…this is no exception. Words may vary but these images stand on their own merit.
Thanks a lot Earl.
I like your abstract rock images. They rock. John Muir said in several places something along the lines that Nature is the grandest artist of all.
Thanks for the laugh David. 😉 That Mr. Muir was on to something.
That is an amazingly complex stone, I have never seen anything even close to it. The red parts makes the stone look very dramatic, like were these blood.
Hi Ove. It is quite symbolic of many things to me. Since this is a section of the inside of a stone, it could very well be likened to blood vessels of the Earth. So many things become more interesting once we “crack them open.”
Hello Mark.
Excellent!
The more I look at it, the more I appreciate the motion of the lines and the general luminosity.
I think the horisontal line, almost at the bottom, works as a frame within the frame to make the viewer focused in the midst of seemingly chaotic pattern. Very very nice work, my friend.
Regarding abstract extractionism; it is times like these that internet has a unique value. Or, does it? 😉
Best Wishes
Seung Kye
Thank you Seung Kye. Much appreciated. I am glad to see you picked up on that line. I did intentionally place it there as I thought it provided an anchor point.
Don’t feel bad about discovering somebody else also coined it – it’s kinda like taking an original shot only to later find out you’d been in the tripod holes of others before you…
:^D
– Jack
Ha, yeah, know that feeling well.
Mark….you know how much I enjoy your stone abstracts. Really remarkable and beautiful work!
Thanks Howard.
I added a EDIT to this post, guess the term is not so original after all. 🙂
Really lovely, Mark, and I, too, love your coinage of “abstract extractionism”! I look forward to more works in this series…
– Jack
Thanks Jack. I have a few more I am working on.
Funny. I was just think about your studies of stone yesterday. I like Ken’s point that these are abstract while being documentary. The term “abstract extractionism” feels precisely right. And if the term isn’t already in a dictionary, it should be! Your label for this block of work, “inspired by stone” certainly works for me—I am always inspired by these pieces. They are outstanding examples of what can be done with a camera, a good eye, and well-honed skills.
You have made me wonder if somewhere along the line Pollock might have been influenced by what he saw in a piece of stone—maybe even something that he didn’t remember ever having seen. Or, maybe it is just that what was happening in his mind had some similarities to what happened deep in the earth where that rock was transformed. Still more to wonder about.
By the way, I had trouble accessing your site for a couple of days. Was it just my Internet connection? I was getting on all other sites, but not yours. Mysterious.
OK, my first attempt at mind control seems to have worked, now if I can plant that thought into say, 10 million… 🙂
I don’t know much about how he developed what he started. If the movie about him is factual, it was seemingly by accident.
I am not aware of my site being down Anita, I try to look in on it every day and didn’t notice anything. Might have been temporary.
I like your term “extractionism”. It’s as good as any other word for this type of photo. It’s not really abstract since it’ts really more documentary. Semantics. I’d like a 20″x30″ print for my living room wall.
That is a good observation Ken re: documentary. I would say I had to wet the sample a bit to get the color, and then use cross polarized lighting to cut glare – so maybe not straight off documentary, but like you said – Semantics. Thanks!
Nice comparison Mark. My favorite Pollock piece is Blue Poles. Great image as well.
I’d settle for selling for a fraction of what Blue Poles goes for Richard. 🙂
I’d hang that on my wall. Better yet, in a gallery. As a Pollock fan, I appreciate your narrative and the critical insight into abstractions of color, light and psyche. Terrific as always, Mark!
Thanks Lee, appreciate the comment. Maybe one day a gallery….