Spent the day at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and found beautiful forms of pahoehoe rock doing their "dance" at the coast. Thought I'd share this quick sketch I did of the rocks and some pretty beach naupaka plants (Scaevola sericea) (from my reference pics).
Fact #6: My most prized posession is a rock.
I guess that sounds kind of weird, doesn't it? Well, if you knew me, it really isn't so weird. I picked up this rock while walking along the shores of Milos (blogged below). Philip James Bailey best described what this rock means to me when he said, "Art is man's nature. Nature is God's art."
Note: This is my 100th post! Yay! I think this calls for a celebration!
Ok, I realize I better describe why this rock is very special to me or you'll all think I'm crazy if you don't already. This rock is inherently beautiful. It may be just a rock ... but if you took the time to really look at it, you'd notice it has a mix of greens, blues, yellows, pinks, whites, and browns. It is somewhat crystalline in parts and it seems like you could look right through it if you looked hard enough. This rock reminds me to not judge so easily. By stopping and really looking, I can see the beauty in the simplest of things. This applies to rocks and everything else.
I found this rock on my most favorite Greek Island. It is not a gorgeous island like Thera (Santorini), Mykonos, or Crete. It is where most people speak only Greek; usually only get Greek visitors; when it's summer, the whole island is brown dotted with white-washed homes; and where an Asian woman is a bit of a curiosity to residents. It is for me a little reminder of a dream fulfilled and a hope to return.
Perhaps it's the way I was raised but I believe the value of nature, the stuff I call "God-made," far outweigh the monetary value of things "man-made." Oh don't get me wrong, I do love a Starbucks coffee every now and then and on certain mornings, I would pay a zillion bucks for a cup! But in general, that's how I see the world. Ever have something you look at and it makes you smile? Well, this rock makes me smile.
Ribbons of pahoehoe lava rock and `ohi`a tree shadows make for an interesting Saturday morning subject. I just completed this near Kipuka Pua`ulu (Bird Park) at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The original focus of the drawing was of two grass plants ... then I realized the shadows were much more interesting so changed the drawing midstream.
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