Artist’s Statement
These are common rocks and stones that I’ve noticed on many walks and picked up from the ground around Liberty, Maine. I’ve marked, carved, and painted them, aware of what they “say” to me. Each rock that we pass by and mostly ignore every day has a history that is hundreds—maybe hundreds of thousands—of years old, and each is as common as dirt. Their story, as they’ve been formed by fire and force, crushed and broken off of larger boulders and ledges, can be read in their layers, fractures, scars, wrinkles, and abrasions—the records of their existence.
In my GridRoxx/TokRoxx series, I’ve tried to respect the minutiae of these shapes and surfaces by responding to their individual “voices” as I etch, grind, and paint my own dialogue with what they are now. The GridRoxx are often painted with grids that trace and map their shapes and make the viewer aware of both their randomness and their particularity. In my most recent TokRoxx collection, I’ve been using an electric etching tool to grind away the long-oxidized grey, ochre, and red surfaces to reveal the geometries and runes that I gradually see.
The rocks are mostly hand-held sizes and are meant to be picked up, turned over, felt, and communicated with. If one day they were to be tossed back into the landscape, perhaps a passerby years later would pick one up and wonder about where it had come from, who had had this conversation with it, and why. Hopefully, the person experiencing them anew would recognize their vast antiquity and the mystery of their ancient beginnings, as well as how they came to be right here in the present moment. Even more, my hope is that the person would reflect on the fact that each of us—no matter how common or ordinary—is a unique being with a valuable message if we would listen.
