I love the desert – and geology in general, and the southern part of Utah is one of my favorite places to explore and photograph. And there, in Kanab, there is a shop that sells ‘Goldenstone’ and ‘Utah Picturestone’. Someone once discovered that this rather boring rock on the outside, was stunning on the inside, when sliced open. I’m guessing the only way they figured that out was to happen upon some chunks already broken in half. Who would guess that this magical scene would be inside any rock, after all? But once discovered, they brought it to the marketplace in the form of coasters, coffee tables, candle holders, clocks, you name it! While driving by the shop one year, I had to stop and photograph the huge slab they had on display. It was a sunny day so I used my silk diffusion disc, to soften the contrast, yet brought it close to the stone so the light would have more glow to it while still being diffused. When I started looking at the slab, this scene jumped out at me. It was, in miniature, a landscape of the red rock desert itself, rolling mounds of red hardened mud, ridges of rock, and the colors found in the area. It took my breath away! I made this on film, and was just today sorting through some prime slides I had, and so I just had to post it. It remains a favorite image of mine from many southern Utah adventures I’ve had.
They keep the location of these rocks a secret, for good reason. I myself would want to go and ‘discover’ my own treasure! So somewhere out in the hills around Kanab, lies this treasure-trove of rocks that hold within them stunning scenes, and abstracts of the land that made them.
Just amazing! It’s so beautiful. Glad you can share with us.
Thanks, Bob – I’m getting caught up after being ‘offline’ for a few days…glad you like it!
Thanks David, for your insightful comments. I think what excited me about this was just that – there were curves, ridges, – organic shapes- in this scene that took it beyond a rock surface.
Really well seen. Simple, textured. The eye has lots to cover, and as the viewer moves up off the page, the deeper curves there keep folding the viewer back down, especially to investigate the lighter section that ends in the nook in the right third. the waves suggest something much less rigid than rock. Best, DPH
when i first looked, it looked like a beautiful intimate landscape but it is a rock. Amazing!
I too would want to know where they mine this stuff and so would thousands of others. Best kept
a secret or there would be no more left.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Irene – isn’t nature grand that it can entice us to look more deeply at a rock and see such wonder? Yes, best kept a secret for the source of this amazing stuff. 🙂