Rockhounding: Eldorado

Before the snows come, I’ve decided that I want to get out for a least a couple days of rock hounding.  The connection with the earth is so important within my art that, as much as I love my studio, I need to head out up to the Canadian Shield and into the bush to dig.

The first place on my list was Eldorado.  I’ve been here before, and it is a place with a great history and all the kinds of ochre rocks that I love to find.  An afternoon here, just digging a hole, is pure enjoyment for me.

On the way back to the motel, we also stopped along the side of the highway where some blasting had been done for the road.  Here I was happily surprised to find some Terra Verte (glauconite rich ochre).  The vein was an especially rich colour, and I filled a small bag with it for further use.

The Canadian landscape is somehow iconic of my notions of nationality and place.  The rocks and trees and birds here represent everything I think of as home …

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