I’m a great one for circling — worrying to bone, kicking the tires, whatever metaphor you like. But the problem with using the famous and fine artists of the past is that rather than circling, they can simply divert — off you go, down that path, never to return to your own vision, lost in the work of another.

So I just thought I’d add a word of warning — not to look too deeply nor too long. Just skim whatever cream rises and go on with your own explorations. Jay is, I think, right. The weight of all the past artists can be crushing. I personally like my soup veggies chopped large and only lightly cooked.

Oh, and I would add that only you will know what you are circling — or at least, I should say, I can’t tell what you are stumbling toward. Which is as it should be, I think. You yourself may even be a bit befuddled about what you are looking for — but you know it when you see it.

I keep wanting to make smiley faces on this comment, but I fear WordPress frowns on such inanities. See, there. I need another!

Birgit,
What do you mean that your email kept bouncing back. Ask what/whom?

That’s a delightful place to take inspiration. Perhaps sometime you might tell us about some of your favorite illuminations.

I too, tried to ask but my email was bouncing back to me.

As a beginner, I’m relying a lot on the formality (and surprising whimsy) of Medieval books of hours. I like the small scale, the variety of ornamentation, and the way the space is so often divided with frames. All of which will mean little or nothing since I expect to remain too shy to share any fruits of that reliance in this company for quite some time (if ever)… but you did ask.

“Soup” is a good description. It will take me several days to figure out what I think.

The rock is Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, i.e. consolidated ash. This is apparently a type location, and is featured in the first photo in the Wikipedia article on tuff.

Your comment about time is so astute, I’m ready to forgive your fixture humor.

Time has arisen as a theme previously, but, as usual, it has slipped below my consciousness for quite a while. Now that you mention it, I realize that capturing a sense of time is also important to me in a number of projects I’ve talked about, such as old cottonwoods, waterfalls, and ghost towns. Here, time is represented in the depth of coloration of the rock, newly exposed surfaces being very light beige. The orange or purple or reddish varnishing happens, I think, relatively quickly here.

With time and erosion in mind, it’s amusing that the two figures serve as caryatids holding up the rock itself.