Rock Art: First Steps

 Friday afternoon, and I started to think ahead to the final public 'installation' concept - namely, one (or more, resources allowing) pieces of 'prehistoric wall art', most likely to be created here, at Auchmithie.

I found some chunks of sandstone lying around the garden and ground them down.


Research shows that a glutinous binding agent of some sort - like animal fat, egg white or some such, is what was probably used by actual prehistoric artists. I opted for water since it was readily available, and after scattering some of the finely-ground powder on a slab, was able to produce a decent-looking result using only a wet brush:


In the right light (or with some subtle Photoshop manipulation) it could look pretty much like red ochre, the traditional medium of ancient artists. A trip to Arbroath in the coming days or weeks will be a nice break from stone grinding and donkey work.


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