I took part in a workshop at Rabley Drawing Centre some years back where I made a series of photographs of collected stones that at the time I didn't use and so, the stones in question joined my Stony Stash.
Why do we pick up pebbles on a walk or at the beach? . . .
What prompts us to take them home as a keepsake? . . .
For generations and across cultures stones have been used as markers; to indicate paths and trails, and to indicate a visit when placing a small stone on a grave to show respect and recall the past.
It struck me that it may be a very ancient thing that stones are frequently used as talismans to our memories, and that when a child picks up a stone today, to take home, they are following a very long line of pebble collectors.
Fast forward ten or so years and I found myself handling those stones, they look beautiful, and remembering the photographs and the workshop I'd enjoyed taking part in, making memories that resulted in a book.
Stony Stories, is about remembering, and retaining a connectedness to a shared past, and so, prompted by pebbles that I have picked up on my travels over the years which I've kept like lucky charms and, by the stones that my children have picked up and given to me, I created a book about the memories that simple stones can evoke.
