It has been a while since I became very excited about seeing potential in some new stone specimens. In the past couple of weeks, I have acquired some new and interesting material. I have acquired a number of pieces that should keep me plenty busy in my miniaturized exploration. As always, I am drawn heavily by pieces where I can see more into what they aren’t, than what they are.
My biggest fascination with these Stonescapes has always been the similarities between the macro and the planetary. You see many similarities in the patterns and forms whether looking through a macro lens or being up in space. Now and then I will end up seeing something a bit different, such as the old woman here. It is hard to reflect on why I might see an old woman vs. anything else because I always end up with more questions. One of my favorite quotes is from Claude Monet where he states “To see we must forget the name of the thing we are looking at.” Steve Jobs also once remarked, “Creativity is just connecting things.”
Although sometimes I feel guilty about not knowing more of the geology behind what I am seeing, perhaps it also works to my benefit. Perhaps it gets me halfway there in forgetting what its name is.
Another great stone piece Mark. I love it when you can see other things in macro patterns, its my indoor-couch-surfers cloud watching 🙂 I see a half finished life drawing in the marble tiles in our bathroom while I shower, it makes me feel like getting out of the shower and finishing the picture but from any other angle than the view fro the shower you can’t see it! Looking at your work gives me that same feeling, like I need to get out there and create something special.
Suzy
Hi Suzy, nice to have you stop by. I know exactly what you mean. Our bathroom has sponge painted walls and I have seen pirate skull faces and other faces while brushing my teeth. 🙂
There is always something new to find!
To my eye, your abstracts are your strongest works and this image does nothing to change my opinion. Beautiful.
Glad you like it Cedric.
What a great image! It reminds me a bit of some of the wilder, ‘gonzo’ illustrations of Ralph Steadman. Seeking out abstract compositions – it’s addictive, isn’t it?
Thanks Faye. I wasn’t familiar with Ralph Steadman, but I looked him up. He is quite the artist!
And yes, indeed, it can be addictive.
Lovely stonescapes, as usual Mark. I look forward to seeing more with this one, what you come up with. I think that it’s fascinating what we can see when we look at bit closer and stick around for a while. As for knowing what things are, I tend to think a bit opposite, as in: The label is the limit. That is to say, if I don’t know what it’s called, its properties, etc, my mind is free to run wild with the possibilities … it’s not “just” a rock, it’s an old woman, a thunderstorm, a treasure map, etc. 🙂 If I do know the label, then it’s just that, at least at first, and it’s all that my mind can conceive of it.
See Paul, I knew you could convince me that I should just redefine my lack of knowing some specific things! It was always meant to be another thing! Thanks man.
Super abstracts, Mark. I don’t always know the names of my subjects either…although the full moon is pretty easy.
BTW, thanks a bunch, buddy. I don’t already have enough interests for subjects…now you’ve got me thinking about these too. I’ll look for some while at the rocky shoreline in Maine later this year.
Moon, ah, good to know. 🙂
I look forward to seeing what you discover in Maine, Steve.
I also carry the same guilt in not knowing trees, plants and birds. Feels strange at times when I can’t identify a flower and just post it as “blue flower.” It always impresses me how each of us finds the art in all of nature. Because you are able to see the beauty in the stone and share those images, we are brought into more awareness. I therefore see it when I’m out and about.
Yep, me too. I usually learn IDs later on but it is hard for me to retain. The old hard drive in my head is in need of an upgrade. I do believe that learning more about nature helps you photograph it, but it is not possible to learn every species you might encounter. Life long learning I guess.
Thanks for the kind words Monte.
I’ve always loved your macro stone images Mark. Very inspiring! As I was reading the quotes, it brought another one to mind. I’ll have to paraphrase because I don’t remember exactly how Minor White put it. Photograph what it is and then photograph what else it is. You certainly did that!
Thanks Howard. I do remember reading that same quote from Minor White. Back when I didn’t know who he was, I remember looking up his work and thinking – Hey! This is the type of stuff I like to photograph! So certainly there are tributes to him in this line of thinking.
White had a wall of rock that contained all sorts of large abstract shapes and lines in it to which he brought his students. The wall was in what is now Shore Acres Park in Oregon. I once had the opportunity to photograph there with a different instructor. I say was in that park because I have been told that bad storms and heavy ocean waves knocked the natural wall of stone down in the last year or two.
Mark, I’ve always enjoyed seeing your work with micro photography of stone specimens and this one is no exception. You have an eye for it.
I’ve also love speculations about looking within is perhaps closely related to looking without. I can remember reading a number of stories with universes within universes from the particle level up. Perhaps we are simply the sub-atom universe of a stone in someone else’s gigantic universe who is a stone… Sobering thought! 🙂
Embrace the excitement!
Your last words there Brooks are not foreign to me. I have often thought about that very thing. We are just microorganisms of a larger entity. Exploring the little things perhaps helps our understanding of the bigger ones.