stone walls

I didn't take any photos today but this is one I took last week of a stone wall in my parent's front yard. I have always appreciated stone walls. The history. The craftsmanship. The amount of work that goes into them. My dad instilled that in me through walks in the woods in our neighborhood where stone walls are commonplace. Markers of old and current land lines. Looking at them I think about the hands that found each rock and placed it in each perfect spot. They remind me of my Grandfather who was a mason and a carpenter. I'm reminded of my Dad and his livelihood and ability to make anything and have it be beautiful. This is one that he has fixed up in the front yard. This isn't a completely random post like I thought it would be when I started writing. The twopeas blog challenge today was: Do you have any spring projects you are excited to do? This stone wall represents one for me. I used to draw charcoal landscapes. One drawing of a stone wall was part of my series of large scale drawings I did for my BA- Studio Art thesis years ago. It has been that long since I have drawn from life. I miss it. A few weeks ago I bought some charcoal and paper. This weekend I want to pull out my other supplies and as the weather gets nicer go outside and draw more of the places and things I love. I loved the challenge of making something look real. Getting it just right. The smoothness of charcoal. It has been a long time but it is my goal this Spring.