Who didn’t have a rock collection as a kid? Rocks were everywhere: on the driveway, at the beach, in the river, basically everywhere we played outside. We skipped stones on the lake, as toddlers put them in our mouths, we painted them to make a pet rock and eventually we started to collect them and bring them inside. As we grew older, we started to appreciate the differences between all the rocks, maybe even trading to acquire more of our favourites.

Throughout history, rocks were first used as tools and weapons. We then learned to make fires with them and built dwellings with them. Rocks have come to symbolize longevity, permanence and stability (Rock of Ages, the Cornerstone). Many cultures have their own unique way of looking at and ascribing attributes to rocks. Living in the region known as the Canadian Shield, this has given me plenty of opportunity to explore a vast array of rocks. Some of these images were discovered and photographed on the northern section of the Niagara Escarpment. The beauty and magnitude of these monolithic structures has captivated my photographic eye for years now.

My rock collection has now evolved from a collection of rocks stored in a box under my bed to framed images displayed on my walls. As an artist, I now photograph rocks and with a slightly more refined sense of appreciation of design elements such as colour, pattern, texture and shape. Below is a body of work that spans a few years, many canoe trips and a lot of enjoyment and appreciation of the area in which I live.

I don’t pretend to be a geologist or even know the names of all the rocks. That is why the titles are mere numbers (I needed a way to distinguish one image from another). The scale of these rocks has been purposefully withheld so as to give a sense of mystery as to what you are looking at. The abstract nature of the point of view and the composition (I hope) assists the viewer to appreciate the beauty of these rocks and not so much on the identity of rocks.