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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/ 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.  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.
 Click Here to see more of my Mystic Cairns paintings or my Elephant Rocks paintings.
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Garry McMichael
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