WORRY STONES
Anxious? Concerned? Feeling fine but certain that the next wave of worry is imminent?
While studying art in Glasgow, Scotland, I began carrying a worry stone with me wherever I went. Whether walking to the studio or heading to the pub, I kept a small, milky stone in my pocket and rubbed it as I navigated gray cross-walks and the aisles of Tesco.
Now, years later, living worlds away in the contrasting climate and culture of Southern California, I find comfort in the rocks and boulders that sit in my backyard. I hike amongst them and their seemingly imperturbable presence inspires this growing collection that I affectionately call Worry Stones.
Similar to the series A·BOD·E, I craft each piece out of numerous thin layers of papier mâché and joint compound that I slowly build up and sand away until the surface resembles the well-worn stone that once lived in my coat pocket. Each piece is then hand painted with delicate layers of acrylic and finished with a coat of polyurethane for durability.
Due to the nature of the medium, each Worry Stone is lighter than a rock of comparable size. Some are so light that holding them is like placing a hollow Pysanky egg in your hand, while others have a bit more heft. Most are somewhere in-between.
