“Seven Stones on the Lone Road” Seven lime-stones carvings each mounted in acrylic on canvas; Seven stones to Meikle Seggie Exhibited at Venice Biennale, part of Richard Demarco archive

In 1999 I had the privilege of seeing the Joseph Beuys exhibition at the Natural History Museum of Scotland and the beginnings of this exhibition at the Demarco Foundation, with the work of leading international artists celebrating Joseph Beuys. My journey to the United Kingdom was highlighted by walkabouts made under the direction of Professor Richard Demarco, where I observed the cup and ring petroglyphs and megaliths of the Argyle, and then on to the land of his birth, to walk amongst the megaliths of Malta. I have always pursued the narrative to be told of and on the rocks. Their many meanings have become symbols in my art and central to my journey “……..On the Road to Meikle Seggie”. “Seven Stones on the Lone Road” reflects on personal journeys of self-discovery and growth as told by the rocks of the journey of our ancestors from the land to the mechanical urban environment.

The recumbent stone is the first stone. It is marked with the cup and ring markings, receptive, feminine and exemplifying rurality.

The second stone is the standing stone. Erect and marked with the labyrinth like spiral, through the necessity of movement represents the masculine energy.

The third stone, the grinding stone, represents the unity of the masculine and feminine through the recumbent, hollowed grinding stone and the standing, activated grinding stone.

The fourth stone, the bored stone is a fulcrum, a midpoint and a consequence of the grinding combination. It is the torus associated with conception, through the mathematical structure underlying the sequence of the Hebrew text of Genesis, recounting the seven days of creation.

The fifth stone is the mill-stone. The process of movement turning the millstone represents time, and the ascendancy of the mechanical above human effort.

The sixth stone is the mile stone. As it marks out distance, it is not only a scale of linear space but highlights achievement.

The seventh and final stone is the corner stone. It is the completion of the masculine energy in the third dimension and is represented by the cube.

With the process of self discovery complete, the wax bathing each stone represents the fat and the heat, that fuels and sustains through the cold of the polar shift, as it provides a safe journey beyond the omega. This journey is not one just for artists, but desired by all.