Thursday, July 8, 2010

Our secret


From the Clover
Work in progress 20x16"
by Susan Roux


The rocks were talking.

I've never experienced anything like it. We were on Deer Isle, painting plein air from early morning 'til mid-afternoon. The weather was hot and sunny so we packed our gear and drove to find a beach locals told us about. It was a tiny beach. A very tiny beach...

Off to the side I noticed a trail. It rose up a wooded hill. A dense pine forest, perhaps all growing on large rocks. Something felt very ancient here. The trail forked. It was a short walk. Each ended at a different location around a point. Three completely different beaches, facing three different compass points, all separated by this wooded hill.


One particular beach seemed to pull us in. Chris, Karen and I descended onto in.


A different energy existed there. It was powerful and it tingled inside us. In awe, we moved slowly, not speaking. Large rounded boulder type rocks surrounded us. The tide was low, exposing a tiny sandy beach. I was pulled to a large rock, where I immediately crouched to listen.

The rocks were talking.


It really did feel ancient here. It was humbling. Like these rocks had been here so much longer than any of us, they had even evolved to speak... Chris and I were overwhelmed by the energy we began to talk about our shared Abenaki Indian ancestry. Something here made us feel very connected.

Then Karen surprised us by saying she had Abenaki in her too. Her grandfather was a medicine man!

We are living proof that not all the French and Indians were at war...

No wonder we've become instant friends. We were already connected. Just as this place made us feel connected. Ancient knowledge seemed to be here. We all listened to the rocks. It was the vast areas of exposed barnacles crackling and popping. It put Rice Crispies to shame! The range of sounds it made was incredible.

A bit further, the rocks rose up on either side of us.


From there, you needn't crouch to hear the chatter. It echoed around you. How cool and spiritual a place this was! The secret beach found only at low tide.

It had so much to say...

We returned to our rental house to tell everyone of our magnificent find. They laughed at us. Talking rocks? Seriously now...

The looks on our faces must have sparked some interest, because the next day Mike wanted me to take him there. We needed to wait until low tide. It was misting, so I knew it wouldn't be the same. In the heat, the barnacles had closed tight. The sound was coming from within their closed shells. As though these tiny crustaceans were complaining about the intense heat bestowed upon them.

Much like I've been doing these past few days in the Eastern heat wave...

The sound was softer. Much softer. But upon seeing this place, Mike suddenly understood. He even apologized for laughing the night before. Armed with his trusty camera, he took the photos posted. I wondered how many people came to this beach and never herd it talking. If they were themselves chatting, they would have drowned the sound. If felt like our amazing secret. The place where the rocks talk...

I still have chills thinking about it.

19 comments:

  1. Susan, There are places here in Ireland where it is said that the distance between heaven and earth is tissue thin. This place looks like one off those!

    Róisín

    ReplyDelete
  2. those are pretty cool rocks. and I know rocks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Roisin, that's a great way to put it. Yes indeed it was one of those places...

    Rick, I knew you'd like it. We didn't find any crabs though...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful Susan!! I think artists are open to all the elements that surround them. One with colour, one with spirit that surrounds their subject matter. I love the texture of the barnacles and the lichen. Looking forward to the paintings that are inspired by your experience.
    We are in the heat and humidity here as well. Stay cool! Susan :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gosh, Susan!! What a fabulous experience and thanks so much for your verbal and visual field guide... So wish I could experience it in person but your tour was great!

    Loved the little field of flowers too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't know if I could paint after experiencing such a wondrous place...I would be too humbled by Someone Else's creation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! That looks like such an incredible place!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Incredible photos. Even for a Mountain man like me. Always thought it would be great to visit Maine sometime.
    Following along with your blog for a ways back. You are doing some really nice work Susan. God bless and keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fabulous story and pictures Susan. Enjoyed!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a fascinating post, Susan! Thank you for sharing this experience with us.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Internet devient fou! je disais que les roches, les plantes et les animaux font partie de notre vie. Si nous avons un peu de sensibilité nous pouvons les entendre et nous pouvons aussi leur parler... Bisous.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes there are places with earth power here as well. In Oz.

    Love how you are working this painting up, so soft but lots of movement.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sounds like you had a marvelous time, Susan. Looking forward to getting to know a fellow Mainer better............

    ReplyDelete
  14. I just discovered your blog! I enjoyed the story of the talking rocks and photos of Deer Isle as much as your paintings. You live in a beautiful place to paint! Love your floral paintings too!

    ReplyDelete
  15. From the Clover has lovely soft edges, great post!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lovely painting. Thank you for visiting my blog. I really appreciate your encouragement.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow! I want to go there! Magical and somehow grounding at the same time. Would love to paint or draw there! Lovely soft work and I love your lupines!

    ReplyDelete
  18. WOW. Rocks are fascinating and I believe that they give off a vibe. There is a place I go in the Southwest part of Nova Scotia where the landscape is ancient and you can see all the layers of rock heaved up. Just stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, what a powerful post! Thank you for sharing this exciting experience with us.

    ReplyDelete

Please share your thoughts. Your comments are always appreciated.