ONE OF A KIND… (OOAK) collectible hand-painted stone, infused with the warmth of summer and the first shimmer of frost.
WHERE I LIVE… there are really only two true seasons: summer and winter. My favourite two, spring and autumn, are fleeting at best – here one moment and gone the next, usually wrapped up within a month. So when I painted this stone towards the end of summer, as autumn crept uninvited to my doorstep and slipped stealthily underneath, my thoughts were already leaning into winter and the energy it brings.
THIS YEAR… the shift came early – a sudden drop in temperature overnight. The kind of biting cold that startles you awake, makes you pause, forces you to take notice. A shock to the system – one I didn’t like.
AND SO… this stone, this flower, became something of a bridge between two worlds – a melding of summer and winter, blended and intertwined. My toes clung stubbornly to summer’s warmth, its heat still stamped into the soil beneath me, while crisper mornings and darkening evenings pulled me forward into winter’s outstretched hands.
ITS STAMENS…, like slender twig fingers tipped with red anthers, precise and small, echo the berries that dot holly branches at Christmastime. The golden filaments gleam like sunlight piercing bare, skeletal trees. And the white petals hold the untouched clarity of a frosty December morning, mist clinging to the horizon, shrouding mountaintops where pine, olive and almond trees stand cloaked in serenity. A summer flower at heart, yet it holds the duality of both worlds: heat and frost, bursting and barren, light and shadow. The vibrant strength of an August afternoon wrapped in the subtle magic of snow-dusted hills and foggy horizons.
THERE’S SOMETHING… undeniably oriental in its design, as if it belongs in the lush gardens of India, its intricate form hand-painted onto silken saris or woven into the threads of sumptuous, weighty furnishings. It has the makings of a captivating, repeating motif – one that tells a story with every glance.
WHAT SOOTHES… most is the creamy expanse of white. A milky pool that beckons, inviting a weightless drift, a quiet surrender. The radiating lines, stretching outward from the centre, feel steady and rhythmic, like the ticking of a clock or the delicate geometry of a spider’s web. There’s order and structure here, something to hold onto. A balance that steadies the chaos. A point of calm in a world that never rests.
AND AT THE… heart of it all, the centre – a portal, part mystery. Where does it lead? To a hive, perhaps, humming with life and purpose? Or to a hidden garden, brimming with exotic blooms and intoxicating scents? If it were a place, it would be soft, fragrant, and full of wonder.
THIS STONE… is an invitation to slip into its world – to pause, to breathe, to listen. To linger in the comfort of its layered beauty. It speaks of duality and balance, of the way one season leans into the next – summer’s warmth still imprinted on the earth as the first shimmer of frost takes hold. It holds both light and shadow, strength and stillness, movement and rest. The gold and pink at its heart feel like a threshold, a doorway to something just beyond reach – ancient gardens, woven tapestries, untold stories waiting to be heard. It calls, gently, to step through. To dream. To trust the space between endings and beginnings. A reminder that transformation is not a single moment but a slow, quiet turning, each season leaving its trace. That even in stillness, something stirs. And when you return, you do so changed – carrying the wisdom of both summer and winter.
WINTER’S FROSTED PLUME
A bridge between the warmth and chill,
where summer fades and winter stills.
The stamens gleam with crimson fire,
Holly’s blush, the sun’s desire.
Gold filaments through branches weave,
while frost-laced air begins to breathe.
A milky calm, profound and deep,
a cradle where the seasons sleep.
Its petals whisper of distant lands,
of silken threads in patient hands.
And at its heart, a portal glows,
to hidden worlds where wonder flows.
Would you step through, where time unwinds,
where seasons merge and fate aligns?
This stone, a keeper of dusk and bloom,
holds all its magic in frosted plume.
👉🏻 WHERE DO YOU… long to escape to?
👉🏻 WHEN YOU CLOSE… your eyes and imagine far-off places, where do you go?
👉🏻 IF THERE WAS A PORTAL… in your home, would you step through?
👆🏻 I HOPE YOU… find as much pleasure from gazing into this stone as I did in painting it.
👆🏻 INSPIRED BY: the shifting seasons, the cycles of nature, the intricate beauty of textile designs, and the longing to escape to lands rich in colour, mystery, and timeless possibility.
DIMENSIONS:
• Pebble: 7.5 x 7cm; 3 x 2.8in
MATERIALS:
• Posca 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.