Slate Pictographs - the inspiration



Font-de-Gaume cave

Last September I was thrilled to travel to France to see something that I have been captivated by since childhood after reading about the discovery of prehistoric art in caves.

Font_de_Gaume is the last cave in France open to the public where you can see prehistoric polychrome cave art. I waited in line several hours, but finally scored a ticket to get in and it was worth every second of the cold early morning wait. I also saw Lascaux II, a replica of the famous Lascaux cave, and many other artifacts at the local museums. These were amazing as well, but there is nothing quite the same as standing in the same place and experiencing the same context as the artists did 10s of thousands of years ago. There has understandably been an effort to limit access to these caves to preserve these precious works of art - I feel very blessed to have been able to experience them first hand. 

There is something hauntingly familiar about prehistoric art - it leaves me with a sense of historical connection, wonder, and awe. What inspired these ancient artists to create these skillful works and what is in our genetics that makes them so appealing? Why do they appear throughout our primitive past? Albertans might want to check out some local examples. I highly recommend Writing-on-Stone for a remarkable experience - the geography and petroglyphs are stunning.

About 14 years ago we decided to install slate floors in our home. I spent way too much time marvelling at the beauty and diversity of the stone that was revealed as each piece was washed. Distant mountains, blowing sand storms, and abstract beauty appeared before my eyes. It wasn't much of a leap to think about creating paintings reminiscent of prehistoric art on these stones. Since then I have been cutting stencils and creating wall plaques, coasters, ornaments, and trivets. I progressed from using a stencil brush to an air brush which lends more scope for shading.




The feedback that I here and popularity of these pieces confirms that there is something inexplicably captivating about these images.
 Early on I had requests from people wanting me to design fireplaces, backsplashes, and showers. I found the concept enthralling but daunting and the closest I came was a commission for a number of pieces that were incorporated into a shower.



However, a few years ago I got brave enough to do some tile designs for our guest bath. It has become one of my favorite places - a "woman cave" perhaps?