Peace Out, 6x12 Inches, Original Oil Painting

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I have a thing about cairns.  Aside from the fact that they are ROCKS and I love rocks :)  I love looking at the stack of them... their different colors and shapes and textures.  I started, when I moved to RI, to collect white egg-shaped rocks.  Quickly that turned to all white smooth rocks, and then black rocks, egg shaped and also sort of tubular.  Then flattened black ones, and... a few lovely seal gray ones.  Which led to speckled ones, in brown, off white and gray based colors.

Now when I tell you that my husband practically agreed to move once because he thought (bwa-ha-ha!) that we would be rid of the rock collections... you must believe me.  And I DID leave most of them behind.... but I had partners in my crime - my 2 sons, who also loved rocks.  Now they're grown and I have to admit I have this.... addiction!  Fortunately for me every winter throws up millions of these lovely large stones on our shores.  My poor husband.  I think I will build a stone wall with them.... or decorate the garden with cairns...or paint them or something.  They seem to have little personalities!

This one is 6x12, and it just may make it to my Open Studio in August.  If not.... I'll paint another... maybe a really BIG one! :D  Be well, friends, and thank you for your comments!

Cairn V - Strength, Acrylic, 5x5 Inches

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Another cairn painting - a little one.  

At the risk of boring everyone, I would like to say a little about the cairn paintings and why I do them.  I was intrigued when I saw my first cairn.  I was astounded when I saw them at the vortex in Sedona, about 9 years ago - hundreds of them.  And again in Maine.  I think each one is like a lesson - of patience to find the right angle of each stone, of gentleness in the placing of the stone atop.  Of the joy I find in our differences - I think each stone has a personality and it's color and shape reveal it,  I think we must trust when we balance them, and give in to that sense of balance.  Very much the way I want to live my life.  This one is named Strength because the stones fit very solidly into each other, and support each other.  I know people of true strength.  I bet you do, too.

Cairn II, Oil, 6x6

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OK, you rock lovers! Here's another cairn from my Briggs Beach rock collection. The color is a little washed out in the photo. I am buying Photoshop Elements for Dummies, and am going to take a few days and LEARN it. I love to pile these rocks. This was a pile of little stones - which I knocked over just after I finished the painting (thank goodness it was AFTER!).

Wishing Cairn,Oil 6x6

When you stack stones like this there is supposed to be an energy that appears. Whether that's true or not I always want to make a wish when I stack them. These stones are from Briggs Beach in Little Compton, RI, and if you've ever been there you know they're a little magic ;). I'm sending out my wishes for a couple of friends that really need them today. This turned out quite photo-realistic... not how I planned it!

ETA: No 'black' paint was used in the preparation of this painting!

Beach Stones, Oil, 6x6

Today I was headed out to the studio, with no real idea of what to do for a Daily Painting (it's been a few days of just Plein Air, as you can see on my other Blog).  So I grabbed a few beach rocks - I swear my 'real' self is a 7 year old boy - I not only collect 'good' beach stones, people who know me well bring me interesting ones as well!  So I spent some time in the studio positioning them, and the rest was easy.  Yeah.  Gray and White - Sooooooo hard!  No, but really, it was a challenge to make the 'right' gray, and make the white lines in the stones look convincing, not like rubber bands!