(114) Pebbles
5 x 7, oil
I love how Nate Berkus incorporates natural elements into his designs. He suggests putting a personal stamp on decorating by displaying organic materials you have collected from nature or travel. I think we can all relate to finding the perfect shell at the ocean, knowing it will bring back memories of the vacation every time we pick it up, or see it on a shelf. Thinking about this today, I realized that pebbles would be a good study in plane changes. I picked these up in Nice, near the home of Henri Matisse. They are my good chi--I love the colors, smooth edges, and striations in the stones, and when I look at them, I envision Matisse walking along the same shoreline, picking up a few pebbles himself.
"An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language"...Henri Matisse