ONE OF A KIND… (OOAK) collectible hand-painted stone: rule-bender, time-shifter, stillness-bringer.
I LOVE… straight lines. And I love stripes. Looking at them soothes me and calms my mind. And painting them is soothing too, putting me into a kind of meditative trance. But it’s hard, also, painting freehand lines, and I like the challenge of that. There’s no going back once you’ve started, no correcting anything. If you mess up, you’ve messed up. I’m attracted to that kind of edginess. It challenges me as an artist and it teaches my hands to be more dexterous.
I ALSO LOVE… egg-shaped pebbles, although they are hard to come by. And different textures create different results. So each new stone is an entirely new adventure. Some of them I enjoy. And some not so much. Stones that soak up all of the ink can be a tad challenging.
THE COLOURS OF THIS… stone remind me a bit of the designer Paul Smith and his Signature Stripe, although purely accidental. Years ago, when I was a newbie in London and working my first fresh-out-of-college job, I remember coveting a heart-shaped purse by him that I saw in a local shop. I never bought the purse but I long remembered it and this stone revived that memory, proving for me to be a kind of time travel totem.
I’VE CALLED IT… Vertical Lines because I live outside the lines in many ways. And, for me, living inside them is challenging. It suffocates the creative spirit; it squashes individuality. I like to set my own rules, decide my own journey. Yet I do have rules also, don’t get me wrong, and I do live inside them, just about things like: how I arrange my space, what colours I choose to wear, and the foods I elect to eat. Not what I think or believe. Those belong to chance and circumstance and fate and destiny and what life chooses to gift or throw my way along the way. A lot lately. Ha ha…!!!
VERTICAL LINES
In stripes I find a quiet grace,
Each line a journey I must trace.
The brush, once set, knows no retreat,
A fragile path beneath my feet.
Each stroke, a bridge to distant lands,
Reviving time with steady hands.
The past returns in colors bright,
Awakening what sleeps from sight.
I walk no path that’s carved in stone,
No rigid rule can claim my own.
In art, as life, I set the pace,
I follow instinct’s endless chase.
A pebble whispers through its grain,
Of memories wrapped in quiet rain—
Each texture calls, a voice unknown,
A portal carved in simple stone.
This totem leads me back through years,
Through silent joys and softened fears.
Within these lines, time shifts and bends,
Where past and present gently blend.
I live between these worlds, untamed,
No boundary set, no path preclaimed.
For in each stroke, both bold and free,
I write the rules that govern me.
👉🏻 WHAT DOES… this stone remind you of?
👉🏻 AND WHERE… does it take you?
👆🏻 I HOPE YOU… find as much pleasure from gazing into this stone as I did in painting it.
👉🏻 INSPIRED BY: Easter, Easter eggs, Paul Smith, and a love of challenging myself by painting straight lines and rainbow stripes.
DIMENSIONS:
• Pebble: 5.5 x 4.5cm; 2.2 x 1.8in
MATERIALS:
• Paint Pens
• Baker Ross Multi-Purpose Acrylic Craft Varnish
PLEASE NOTE: this is not a toy, it is delicate, it is meant for ornamental purposes only. If you do happen to drop or accidentally scrape or chip it, you may revarnish it with a thin layer of clear gloss varnish, making sure to allow significant time for it to properly dry. If you get it covered in dirt, grime or drool, you may gently wipe or rinse it. Deeper damage may require touching up the image with paint pens and then revarnishing. Rest assured, most minor incidents can be rescued, but the responsibility lies with you.
🔒 © Rebecca L. Atherton | All Rights Reserved, 2024.