“There's just something beautiful about walking on snow that nobody else has walked on.” |
| Snow days were the best as a kid. How could you not love spending a school day building snowmen, sledding, having snowball fights, and making snow angels? As an adult, it's much easier to get annoyed with the chores a snow day brings, like having to shovel the driveway, digging your car out of a snow bank or the stress of driving on the icy roads. But why focus on the negative when we can put on our snow boots and go out to enjoy the beautiful snowy weather? As an artist and photographer, I look forward to snow days. Snow turns the grimy, gray days of winter into a beautiful landscape of white. |  Lonesome Highway |
 Femme Osage Creek |  Winter Woods |
Winter is a different world. Buildings, trees, and frozen lakes briefly become abstract shapes on a background of white. My favorite summer paths and trails are seen from a different vantage point. Better still, I often have all my special places to myself. Leaving my foot print in a field of snow is a thrill in itself. With snow on the ground I feel just as vibrant and alive in the gray depths of January as I do on a spring morning, a midsummer’s afternoon or a crisp autumn day.
Frozen
Around the globe, winter is on retreat. Sixty years from now, winters are projected to be more like what they currently are 500 miles south. In a rapidly warming climate, winter is something to be cherished. I would even say there’s a moral obligation to get out and enjoy it while we can, before it melts away.
| Winter is now on exhibit at Green Door Art Gallery 21North Gore Webster Groves, MO 63119 |  |
“Welcome, winter. Your late dawns and chilled breath make me lazy, but I love you nonetheless.”
-Terri Guillemets
Winter Solstice, Mississippi River at Golden Eagle Landing, 2009 Pastel
Winter Solstice, Saturday, December 21st
Saturday will be the shortest day of 2019 and the longest night. It is also the first day of Winter. On Sunday the 22nd the days will slowly begin to grow longer again.
Mankind has always celebrated the Winter and Summer Solstice. Think of Stonehenge and numerous places in North America where Native Americans would mark and celebrate the solstices. It is winter, but it is natures birth of the New Year.
Mankind has always celebrated the Winter and Summer Solstice. Think of Stonehenge and numerous places in North America where Native Americans would mark and celebrate the solstices. It is winter, but it is natures birth of the New Year.
Winter Solstice, Alone, Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area, 2011 Acrylic
Yes, I know we live in an era of digital time, and there never seems to be enough of it. But we, as humans, should continue the tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice. For many years now, I have found someplace quiet to celebrate, to forgive, to be forgiven, to think about the past and consider the future. Sometimes it’s cold; sometimes it’s overcast, but the sun always sets and I know after the longest night, the sun will rise again. It's a time to awaken.
Sunset at Elephant Rocks State Park, Winter Solstice 2018, Oil
This Saturday, find a quiet place and take a minute to celebrate natures years end. On Sunday, wake up to a new year growing with hope and promise.
Happy Winter Solstice.
Garry
Happy Winter Solstice.
Garry
Frozen Island, Busch Wildlife, Lake 35, Winter Solstice 2017, 2019 Acrylic Painting
“Everything that is made beautiful and fare and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees.” -Rumi
Partners, 40X30 Acrylic on canvas
I Have twenty of my favorite paintings on exhibit through December at the Soulard Coffee Garden. If you have never been there Go Now. I can’t think of a better place to take a friend for coffee, breakfast or lunch. It’s a place to sit back, drink an epic Bloody Mary and be with friends. Enjoy my art and the excellent food. I'm displaying my paintings of people, landscapes and still-lifes, just so I can show show you the subjects I love. Make sure you wander to the area upstairs as well as the main floor to see all the paintings.
Soulard Coffee Garden, the kind of hangout that encourages lingering; you'll probably be late getting to wherever you're supposed to go.
Happy Holidays,
Garry
Happy Holidays,
Garry
“You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination” -Roman Payne
Hawksbill Crag, 24X18 Oil on Canvas.
I was fifteen years old. It was a cold, overcast, and there was snow on the ground that March day I moved to the Ozarks. Leaving the warm spring of Galveston, Texas wearing a tee shirt, I wasn't a happy camper. Little did I know it would be one of the best days of my life.
I love the Ozarks. I love its rugged hills, valleys and crystal-clear streams. I love its clear blue sky and it's green, green forests. The Ozarks molded me, intoxicated me, and seduced me. I’ve moved around, but I’ve never moved out of the Ozarks. I never will.
I’ve been photographing, painting and drawing MY OZARKS since my high school years. Now I want to share it with you. Join me on a journey, both back in time and into the future, as I share with you "My Ozarks" in future blog posts, on my website and through social media.
Let' start the adventure at Hawksbill Crag at the very head of the Buffalo National River, in NW Arkansas. Hawk's Bill Point is a small rocky point where you can overlook the entire headwaters of the Buffalo River. If you hike a couple hundred yards you can get this dramatic view of the point and the overhang. It is at least a hundred feet to the ground below. This painting is based on a photograph taken in the early 1980's and recreated as a painting in 2013.
I love the Ozarks. I love its rugged hills, valleys and crystal-clear streams. I love its clear blue sky and it's green, green forests. The Ozarks molded me, intoxicated me, and seduced me. I’ve moved around, but I’ve never moved out of the Ozarks. I never will.
I’ve been photographing, painting and drawing MY OZARKS since my high school years. Now I want to share it with you. Join me on a journey, both back in time and into the future, as I share with you "My Ozarks" in future blog posts, on my website and through social media.
Let' start the adventure at Hawksbill Crag at the very head of the Buffalo National River, in NW Arkansas. Hawk's Bill Point is a small rocky point where you can overlook the entire headwaters of the Buffalo River. If you hike a couple hundred yards you can get this dramatic view of the point and the overhang. It is at least a hundred feet to the ground below. This painting is based on a photograph taken in the early 1980's and recreated as a painting in 2013.
 |  Original Kodachrome Photograph. 1986 |
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To add Hawksbill Crag to your collection, CLICK HERE
Sing up for my BLOG and you will receive an email every two weeks.
To add Hawksbill Crag to your collection, CLICK HERE
Notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature. - Friedrich Nietzsche
Elephant Rocks Autumn I, 15X30 Oil
| It’s going to be a beautiful weekend to drive down to Elephant Rocks and Johnson Shut-Ins. Sunny, but cool both Saturday and Sunday. You can spend the day exploring the autumn colors then join me for an exhibit and reception of my paintings, PAINTING ELEPHANT ROCKS – ONE YEAR, THIRTY PAINTINGS. On Saturday, November 2nd, there will be reception at the Battle of Pilot Knob Historic Site (five miles from Elephant Rocks) from 4pm to 7pm. Come see my exhibition. Free snacks, drinks and good conversation. On November 3rd, from 1 to 3PM, I will give a talk about my experiences spending a year photographing and painting Elephant Rocks. I will discuss how to photograph the rocks through the seasons, what time is the best, what to look for in a photograph and then how to turn the photos into paintings. If you have photos or paintings of Elephant Rocks bring them along to share and discuss.  Elephant Rocks, Autumn II, 24X36 Acrylic Paintings of Elephant Rocks State Park is a new series of landscapes created over the past year by artist Garry McMichael. It is a series of paintings of a unique granite geological formation located in the Arcadia Valley about 1.5 hours south of St Louis. There is nothing quite like this rock-strewn landscape anywhere else in Missouri or Mid America. Giant boulders of pink granite rocks appear all over the landscape and in the nearby Ozark hardwood forest. Throughout the centuries, green and gray lichens and mosses have only added to their shape, texture and beauty. It's a painting project I’ve been working on for over a year to capture the state park throughout the seasons. PAINTING ELEPHANT ROCKS – ONE YEAR, THIRTY PAINTINGS will be on display from November 1st through 30th. Additional Elephant Rocks paintings will also on exhibit at the Fort Davidson Café just across the street from the Historic Site. Good food and wonderful paintings.
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Painting Elephant Rocks will be on exhibit
Starting November 1st
At Battle of Pilot Knob Historic Site*
Pilot Knob, Missouri
Exhibit will run from November 1st to 30th
Reception, November 2nd 4:00pm to 7:00pm
* located 5 miles from Elephant Rocks State Park
If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” Marc Chagall
| Elephant Rocks Moon Watcher 24X48 Oil on canvas |
On a couple occasions I have referred to Elephant Rocks as Missouri’s Energy Vortex. It’s one of the reasons I go there, time and time again. I want to experience it in all its seasons and moods. I love it just before sunset when it’s quiet, and I have it all to myself. I love being there on a busy Saturday afternoon, when its filled with a bus load of children, laughing, screaming as they jump from rock to rock. I like experiencing it alone on a cold, blustery winter day just to be reminded life ain’t easy. It’s also why I’ve spent the last year painting Mid-America’s high energy place.
| Elephant Rocks, Summer Two 24X36 Oil on Canvas |
Have you been to Sedona, Arizona? It’s world famous for its energy vortexes. I’ve experienced the famed energy vortexes of Cathedral Rock, Oak Creek Canyon, Bell Rock and Buddha Beach. Yes, the red rock country of Sedona is absolutely beautiful, but the only real energy I’ve found was being expended by the Chamber of Commerce and the local businesses in their attempt to seduce tourist to come there and spend money. Five dollar a car parking just to see a panoramic view of the Sedona skyline. Thirty-minute waits to drive five blocks through Sedona's packed downtown on a spring weekend, overpriced hotels and tourists tripping over each other hiking to Buddha Beach. Is that the type of energy vortex you want? Give me Elephant Rocks. It’s quiet, its free and it's beautiful.
| Energy Vortex's are really within each of us. If you want to experience an energy vortex all you need is a quiet place where you can hear your heart and feel a breeze on your face. That’s what Elephant Rocks offers. It's a far better place. | 
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This blog is an edited version of an article written by Vicki French Bennington, Executive Editor for Gazelle Magazine. To read the whole article visit:
https://gazellemagazine.com/natural-beauty-strength-stability-rocks/
https://gazellemagazine.com/natural-beauty-strength-stability-rocks/
When decorating your office – whether that be at home or away from home – think outside the box. Think outside. Think rocks.
Building Trust, 18X36 Acrylic and Cairn in the Morning Mist, 48X24 Oil in a office setting
While rocks may not seem like a first choice for decorating, you might want to think again. As far as artist, photographer and blogger Garry McMichael is concerned “Rocks definitely rock.” And few things show strength and stability as much as the symbolism created by rocks. Remember the saying, “solid as a rock.”
As far back as he can remember, he has had an interest in rocks and geology. “Rocks have personalities, just as family and friends do; rocks are people I know,” he said. “Some are bright, colorful and make me laugh. Others are secretive, dark and foreboding, keeping all their secrets to themselves. Some rocks are as smooth as a new baby’s skin, while others have sharp edges and carry the scars of a million years.
“Some rocks work together, forming teams, stacking together, while others are loners. Like people, rocks fail, they crack, they slowly erode and they break under natures heavy hand. But don’t ever underestimate a rock. They have strength and the ability to endure in a way that people can only wish for. We can learn a lot from rocks,” he added.
As far back as he can remember, he has had an interest in rocks and geology. “Rocks have personalities, just as family and friends do; rocks are people I know,” he said. “Some are bright, colorful and make me laugh. Others are secretive, dark and foreboding, keeping all their secrets to themselves. Some rocks are as smooth as a new baby’s skin, while others have sharp edges and carry the scars of a million years.
“Some rocks work together, forming teams, stacking together, while others are loners. Like people, rocks fail, they crack, they slowly erode and they break under natures heavy hand. But don’t ever underestimate a rock. They have strength and the ability to endure in a way that people can only wish for. We can learn a lot from rocks,” he added.
Winter Solstice Sunset, 24X36 Acrylic in a living room setting.
McMichael’s body of work, “Mystic Cairns” is a series of paintings of rocks in the form of still-lifes and rock-strewn landscapes.
As an avid student of still life painters and their subjects, McMichael said he is always intrigued by the subjects that are chosen. Most still life painters select everyday things such as fruit, flowers, simple utensils and kitchenware.
“In the 18th century, it wasn’t uncommon for painters to create paintings of the game (rabbit, quail, fish) they hunted for nourishment. They would often include their trusty musket and knives in the paintings.
One of Garry’s favorite still life painters is Giorgio Morandi, a well-known Italian still life painter whose subject was wine bottles, tin cans, bricks and simple boxes, all painted white, gray or black. He painted hundreds of them in his little apartment by the light coming in his windows. They were all titled Natura Morta, with the year each was painted as part of the title. Georgia O’Keeffe was famous for painting bones, horns and antlers, with and without the New Mexico landscape.
As an avid student of still life painters and their subjects, McMichael said he is always intrigued by the subjects that are chosen. Most still life painters select everyday things such as fruit, flowers, simple utensils and kitchenware.
“In the 18th century, it wasn’t uncommon for painters to create paintings of the game (rabbit, quail, fish) they hunted for nourishment. They would often include their trusty musket and knives in the paintings.
One of Garry’s favorite still life painters is Giorgio Morandi, a well-known Italian still life painter whose subject was wine bottles, tin cans, bricks and simple boxes, all painted white, gray or black. He painted hundreds of them in his little apartment by the light coming in his windows. They were all titled Natura Morta, with the year each was painted as part of the title. Georgia O’Keeffe was famous for painting bones, horns and antlers, with and without the New Mexico landscape.
 | “I first saw rocks stacked on top of each other on a Canadian fishing trip,” McMichael said. “They are called ‘cairns,’ and have been used for centuries to mark a trail. I saw them again as works of art stacked on the North Shores of Lake Superior.” Like Morandi and O’Keeffe, he was immediately attracted to painting these cairns because of their simplicity, textures and gracefulness. Not only does he paint them as still-lifes, he’s beginning to see them as part of the landscape, and rocks in general, as the landscape. |
Click Here to see more of my Mystic Cairns paintings or my Elephant Rocks paintings.
Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. ― Stephen King
Richland Creek, Buffalo River Country 24X18 Acrylic on canvas
| Let me tell you about “talent”. In college, I had a close friend who was also a photographer and very “talented”, maybe more talented than I. We both loved NW Arkansas and the Buffalo River County. We literally spent weeks floating the river together. Through the years we went separate directions becoming professional photographers. He moved to Jasper, Arkansas near the Buffalo River where he earned a living doing photography and other odd jobs, but only did what was needed to get by. He liked smoking pot and drinking Arkansas moonshine a wee bit. I too, moved to Arkansas. I worked every day, first for a newspaper and then as a freelance photographer for national editorial magazines. One day I got a call from National Geographic contracting me to spend a week photographing the autumn colors of the hardwood forests in the Buffalo National River region. To work for National Geographic and photograph the fall colors of the most beautiful place in the Ozarks was a dream of a life time. Since my old friend lived near the Buffalo River I dropped by telling him of my assignment and asked if he would like to spend a couple days together as I worked in the area. I told him where I would be camping and asked him to join me that evening. He did join me, and on a cool crisp autumn evening we had dinner by the campfire, reliving old times and drinking just a bit too much. Later in the evening my friend informed me I didn’t deserve to be doing this assignment. After all, he was more talented, a better photographer than I, and he knew the Buffalo region better. He’s proclaimed he should be shooting for National Geographic. Never mind I had been sending samples of my work and developing a relationship with National Geographic for years, just hoping to get this opportunity. It was an uneasy moment, and we were old friends. I let his comments slide as we decided to call it quits for the night. But the next morning I suggested this wasn’t going to work out and we needed go separate ways. I would go on to do several more assignments for National Geographic. My friend was killed in car accident a few years later. So much for “talent”. It’s totally worthless unless you are willing to put a lot of effort into it. |
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping… -Simon and Garfunkel
Rainy Morning Blues 36X36 Acrylic on Canvas
| I am so fortunate. God gave me the gift of imagination. All my life I’ve seen ideas, opportunities, things that others don’t. As an artist I can go to a location and see subjects, compositions, light, color, and contrast as few do. It’s not just talent and training, it’s a gift. But imagination, concepts and ideas are just half the battle. The secret is “follow through”. Concepts and ideas without “follow through” have no value. Consider an entrepreneur, like the late Steve Jobs, without follow through Apple wouldn’t exist. Show me one person whose life hasn’t been affected by the follow through of Steve Jobs. It’s the same with artists. Monet’s Water Lilies would not exist without his obsession to paint them. The same can be said about the hundreds of paintings of Norman Rockwell’s nostalgic Americana, or Georgia O’Keeffe’s Southwest Landscapes, or Mark Bradford’s contemporary America. Follow through, it’s the gift of all great artists. Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again… |
To create one’s own world takes courage.” Georgia O’Keeffe
Kanab Sandstone Cairn (study) 12X12 Oil on Canvas
Why do I paint rocks? Don’t think of them as rocks. They have personality just as family and friends do; rocks are people I know. Some are bright, colorful and make me laugh. Others are secretive, dark and foreboding, keeping all their secrets to themselves. Some rocks are as smooth as a new baby’s skin while others have sharp edges and carry the scars of a million years. Some rocks work together, forming teams, stacking together, leaning on each other, while others are loners. Like people, rocks fail, they crack, they slowly erode and they break under natures heavy hand. But don’t ever under estimate a rock. They have strength and the ability to endure people can only wish for. We can learn a lot from rocks.
"Whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done” -Van Gogh
Double Arch Cairn, found in Arches National Park. 30"X40" Acrylic on canvas.
The hardest decision an artist makes is when is the artwork complete. I firmly believe any artist worth his salt is always seeking perfection. Unfortunately, if that were our goal we would never complete a painting. At some point we have to make the decision our art is “good enough”. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve changed a painting or restarted one, sometimes years later, because it wasn’t good enough. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve thrown a painting into file cabinet or the trash because it wasn’t good enough.
Seeking perfection is part of the process being a great artist.
Seeking perfection is part of the process being a great artist.
"An arch consists of two weaknesses, leaning one against another, make a strength." -Leonardo da Vinci
| Building Trust 15X30 Oil on Canvas |
| In my search for Cairns I sometimes come across stone arches. Far more complicated than stacking stones, arches require more dexterity and patience to build. In my few attempts to build an arch, I have found myself wishing I had three hands. I think I’ll stick to painting them. Perhaps Arches should be built by a couple or as a family project which would seem appropriate. An arch built of rocks is like a family. Every rock/everyone supports each other, and as in a family, everyone works to make the family whole. Engineers may talk of the importance of a “keystone”, but in my mind every stone in the arch is the keystone. Take one out and you may still be able to build an arch, but it is much diminished. "Building Trust” is a painting based on a rock arch I found on a Huzzah Creek gravel bar in the middle of the Missouri Ozarks. Built by someone whose patience I can only appreciate. |
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| Power Rocks 12X24 Acrylic on Canvas |
| Today a fellow artist accused me of being obsessed with painting rocks. My immediate response was, “No! I’m in the process of creating a body of work.” But of course, my friend is right. Here are a few thoughts reflecting on obsession and creativity. |
“Be obsessed or be average.” -Grant Cardone
“Until your mission is an obsession, nothing will change.” -Robin Sharma
“A great artist has a unique vision – obsession. They are someone willing to fail flamboyantly.” -Jerry Saltz
“When passion meets inspiration, an obsession is born.” -Anonymous
“Good requires motivation, great requires obsession.” -M. Cobanli
“Your job is to get your audience to care about your obsessions.” -Martin Scorsese
“Follow your most intense obsession mercilessly.” -Frank Kafka
“To succeed, work hard, never give up and above all cherish a magnificent obsession.” -Walt Disney
“Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” -Anonymous
“May your obsessions be impassioned and long lived.” -Garry McMichael
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Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do. -Edgar Degas
Top of Elephant Rocks 18X18 Oil on Canvas
Here’s my secret to creating a painting. Pour myself glass of port. Lay in the sky and clouds. Mix burnt sienna, Naples yellow, with a spot of cadmium red. Test it. Nice Rock color. Pour more port. Pick the paint up with a 2-inch brush and lay it down as the underpainting. Watch the drips. Try again with a little burnt umber added to give the rocks shape. More red, and that stuff over there in a jar? Pour another glass of port. Yeah… No? Wipe it down and start over again... maybe better this time. Stop... Sip... Paint. Maybe add white for the highlights? Maybe…
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” Andy Warhol
| Wintering Elephant Rocks 15X30 Acrylic on canvas |
| "So Garry, just how long have you been an Artist?" Since the day I could scribble with a pencil or a crayon. I have a photo of myself with a Kodak Brownie hanging around my neck when I was nine. I took my camera everywhere. When I was a high school senior I illustrated a student literary book with my drawings. I loved being a student photographer. It gave me the opportunity to get out of class to take photos of other students and activities for the yearbook. |  |
| A camera in my hands was like wearing a protective coat of armor. Photography helped me to overcome my shyness, approach other students, especially girls, and develop relationship skills that many students don’t learn until later in life. Photography also helped me to develop a life-long love for the outdoors, nature and the Missouri/Arkansas Ozarks in particular. Today the American landscape is an integral part of my art. Our clear running streams and green-forested hills are a treasure to behold and a challenge to paint. I plan to take photos and paint until the day I die. How long do you plan to be an artist?  |
| Wintering Elephant Rocks If you want to have Elephant Rocks State Park all to yourself then explore it in the winter. A unique granite geological formation found in the St. Francis Mountains of the Missouri Ozarks. There is nothing quite like this rock-strewn landscape anywhere else in Missouri or Mid-America. Giant boulders of pink granite rocks thrown all over the landscape and hardwood forest. Throughout the centuries green and gray lichens and mosses have only added to their shape, texture and color. |
Like a sandcastle, all is temporary. Build it,
tend it, enjoy it. And when the time comes let it go.
– Jack Kornfield
| Rock Castle 30X30 Oil on Canvas |
| This is more than a cairn. It’s a Rock Castle I found late one evening on Lake Superior's rocky shore. I love the makers creative design. This person is building more than a cairn, they are building a dream. Unfortunately, as a photographer, I found the late evening light disappointing. I photographed it anyway, but later, when creating this painting I changed the lighting to bring out the textures and shapes of the stacked rocks. The art of this cairn builder inspired me. I consider Rock Castle to be a collaboration with another artist I've never met. |
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Rock, Paper Scissors 30x30 Oil on Canvas |
It’s very simple. Look, scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has been rock crushes scissors. -The Big Bang Theory |
| That’s not very simple. Maybe life is becoming too complex for me. A phone ringing in my pocket, a wrist watch that monitors my heart, and all that crap on “social media”. And on television, a show about really brainy people who don’t have enough sense to know when to come out of the rain. What happened to a simple walk in the woods, or reading a newspaper while sitting on a toilet? I know the Big Bang Theory is funny, but life is not that complicated. Lord, give me an opportunity to walk in the woods, and build a cairn so others can follow. |
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Cairns represent a trail marker that guides one through uncertain areas of life. They Provide guidance, hope, balance, continuity, and confidence on the journey down the path of life. -John P. Kreamer
| Supporting Our Dream 14X11, Acrylic on Board |
| Cairns are rocks stacked on top of each other. It takes at least three rocks to make a cairn. All over the world, from ancient times until present, from mountains to deserts and distant coasts, people have built cairns. Sometimes they mark a trail, a significant place or tomb, serve as communication, have a religious meaning or an artistic purpose. Cairns are built with careful effort - they don't just appear randomly in nature. Stones don't drop out of the sky and stack themselves naturally into stable structures. Only man can make a cairn and only man can give it meaning. Supporting Our Dream is a painting of a simple cairn, but I see much more. I envision it as a couple, precariously leaning on each other to support their dream, whether it be a family, children, an adventure, or something special only to them. |
Click Here Supporting Our Dream To purchase Supporting Our Dream
“Balance is not something you find, it's something
you create.” - Jana Kingsford
| Cairn in the Morning Mist 48X24 Oil on canvas |
| Cairns have become a personal symbol in my quest to live a well-balanced life. You start with a solid foundation stone and build from there. Day-by-day, year-by-year, we build our inner cairn constantly balancing the many facets of our lives – personal pursuits, professional goals, relationships, order, rhythm and harmony. When they are out of balance our cairn falls down. Failure? No, but we must rebuild our cairn all over again. When our life is balanced we feel it. Balance is an internal state. When I come across someone else’s cairn, sitting strong on the edge of a great lake, or precariously on a windswept promontory, I know I have found another seeker searching for balance in their lives. Seeing these creative stacks of rocks created and left behind by others, inspires my paintings. I consider these paintings to be collaborations with seekers I’ve never met. The painting, Cairn in the Morning Mist, was inspired by a cairn built a couple feet offshore in Lake Superior near Grand Marais, Minnesota. The sun was just rising through the early morning mist.
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So why would you want to paint rocks?
| Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on an Ozark Creek gravel bar picking up ancient smooth stones and throwing them in the fast flowing stream “Plunk". Pick up another one. "Plunk", the sound of the rock splashing in the water. My mother said I would spend hours entertaining myself tossing those rocks. At about nine years old on a family vacation out west I went into my first rock shop and truly discovered the beauty of rocks. Rocks have color, shape, texture, weight and strength; the very same characteristics I try to capture in paintings today. I saw my very first cairn on a fishing trip to Canada. We were driving along a gravel road and about every mile or so there would be a stack of rocks along the side of the road. Stopping at a gas station the attendant explained they are "cairns", used to mark trails and guide people to their destinations. The natural world and the environment have always been a powerful influence in my art, but so has man and our relationship to the environment. A rock is nature, but it can be a trail marker, a man can stack rocks and turn them into a symbol, a fence, a shelter or even an exquisite sculpture. It is where nature and man come together I create may best paintings. North shore Cairn is one of my earliest paintings, inspired by cairns found on Lake Superior. My goal was to work with a monochromatic palette where the lighting, values and texture are key. In Northshore Cairn you can see the heavy influence of the mid 20thcentury photographers, Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz and Ansel Adams.
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Garry McMichael