Everything In One Stone

Ever wondered why so many people pick up pebbles, collect stones, carry them with them at all times? Well, you're not going to get any answers from me on this one.

Only thing I can tell you is that, to me, stones seem to hold a lot of power. Power in the form of energy, warmth, cold, comfort, nostalgia, a souvenir, weight, a tool, a weapon, peace, etcetera.

Stones have been painted, filmed, questioned, besung, hommaged, and written about (For instance: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poems/stone) and therefore seem to be special to many.

In fact, stones hold the entirety of everything in their core little selves. As long as you look for it, you can find the whole universe in one little stone.



Like the one my father put his focus on on the 28th of January, 1986.

On this particular Tuesday, my father wandered his garden and got intrigued by all the life in the pond. Through the open door he heard the radio news while his eyes closed in on a certain stone half under and half above water, as if it was hovering.

The space shuttle Challenger had exploded in mid air just 2 minutes after take off and had left no suvivors. Life was there and then it was not.

The sandstone in the pond was still there. Both above and under the water, both visible and not, both there and not.

It was the starting point for a great adventure. A journey that took my father from the wonderful world in his back garden all the way to all the countries he had always dreamed of visiting, the bliss of meditation, but most of all: the moment gave him the subject that would from then on feature his art.

On Tuesday, the 28th of January, 1986, Jan van Krieken decided that this sandstone in the pond of his back garden was to be his muse, the focal point of his paintings, his lithos, his etches and his drawings. He started taking pictures of this stone on a regular basis, sometimes daily.

In the coming weeks I will share with you what magnificent beauty can come from just watching one stone. A simple one, no gem at all, but magnificent and utterly beautiful nontheless.

As long as you dare focus, and use the senses you were given, you will find the entire universe in just one stone.