Can a Rock be Purple?
These paintings represent close studies of miniscule scenes discovered in rocks collected in Wyoming, Tasmania and Alaska. Flecks of turquoise in brilliant red rubble or layers of golds and purples introduced a geological palette I never knew existed. By magnifying certain elements, the rocks became abstracted landscapes.
How can a rock be purple? Purple?
Purple rocks are rare in New England, but certainly appear in the mountains of the west. I studied the stones trying to identify whether they were sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic rocks, comparing the formation of these rocks to the development of a person. Both contain layers of matter, changes in pressure, melting points, stress, crystallization and the potential to transform in many other ways.
Both also contain beautiful gems, sometimes deeply hidden, but always present, if only to those who take the time to look and observe.
I look for geological characteristics in myself, and those around me, amazed at our potential to transform in our everyday and throughout our lives.