Monday 14 April 2008

Faces

Some years ago, well a lot of years ago, probably a couple of decades in fact, I was on holiday with my Dad. We were down in Cornwall, which I absolutely love. I don't remember exactly where we were visiting, but I have this crystal clear recollection of walking into a small shop, probably a craft centre of sorts, and there being a working artist.
On display were a few of his pieces which were ok, none of the grabbed me.
Until I saw one entitled 'Cliff Faces'.
It was simply a painting of a cliff face, but as you looked at it you could see it was so much more. Each crag and crack on that cliff face revealed the features of a rocky face. Eyes, nose and mouth appeared. Then another and another and another. The entire cliff face was covered with this almost imperceptible faces, until you took the time to look.
I got lost in that painting.
I wanted, more than anything, to take it home with me.
To this day I wonder where it is and who eventually got to take it home with them.
I'm not sure what reminded me of that painting this morning, I think of it relatively frequently and always wonder if, one day, I'll come across it again.

2 comments:

Nearly60 said...

When I was a child my parents had a painting of a forest scene, with a dead branch or tree or something lying across the front of the picture. It used to give me nightmares! That damn branch used to walk its way across the picture and frighten the living bejeezus out of me on a regular basis. Such that, I'd go downstairs in the mornings fully expecting that branch to not be there. Such is the imagination of children. I hope you find your lovely picture one day in the future. And I hope to never have to see mine again! Have a lovely, technology-filled day Flibber!

Flibbertigibbet said...

I used to imagine that the cat on a cover of a book called The House That Jack Built would move. I was sure that one day the cat was curled up on Jack's lap and the next sitting on a windowsill in the house. I checked that book cover religiously to see where it was.
It's amazing what the imagination can do isn't it!