Kristine Alder La Verkin, Utah USA
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'Roadmap of the Ancients'
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Artist's comments ...
Kristine Alder
La Verkin, UT USA
Email: imakeprints@hotmail.comPrint Title: Roadmap of the Ancients
Paper Dimension: 10 x 15 inches
Image Dimension: 8 x 12 inches
Block: Linoleum
Paper: Stonehenge, off-white
Edition: 20Comments: Intrigued by the petroglyphs to be found in our area, I go out exploring in the desert sometimes with my husband. We came upon these petroglyphs in a place called Little Black Mountain. It has become one of my favorite spots to explore and photograph, along with the Parowan Gap about an hour north of here.
It is estimated to take over 10,000 years for the black varnish to form on the sandstone rocks in the desert. There are many petroglyphs at this site, some of them so old that the varnish has started to settle over them again. I’ve studied this set of glyphs many times, have taken my art history students out to view them, and have pondered on what they could possibly mean. The more I look, the more I see the map left by the ancients who passed this way, perhaps telling of where to find the game to feed their families, and telling stories of events that happened on their hunts. Many animals are represented, geographical elements too, and even what looks like a dying person with a mountain lion looking on. There is no legend to this map, so anything extrapolated here is speculation. It’s up to you to listen to the spirits of the ancients and find your own meaning.