Bette Cerf Hill

Rock Series - Charcoal and acrylic on paper. 2004-2005

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Stone Arcs to the Future and the Past

The act of feeling for the balance and determining when to let go is an extraordinary experience. Making a marker for a sculpture out of stone required looking carefully at each rock. They had to be flat and it took a lot of flat stones to build tall. Standing the stones on end made a tall structure but it required balancing each stone carefully and letting go, just at the right moment. It was surreal when a beautiful structure was suddenly created and stood on its own.

Without using mortar of any kind the objects remained fragile. After several did not make it through the night I began taking photos of them. The drawings were made to further learn the stones and painting followed. Color came from the brilliant fall days in upstate NY where the project started and the days of serene beauty on the u in Africa.

To think about what stone means in the history of humans is an immense undertaking, Stone markers survive from a past before human memory. Rocks serve every need from alter to places of incarceration, from guide posts showing the way to human stand - ins guarding the crops.

We do not understand the significance of Stone Hinge or the thousands of ancient monoliths all over Europe. We no longer believe in the ancient religions that called for elaborate burial sites but we still make pilgrimage to see the Pyramids of Egypt and try to guess the purpose of the pyramids of South America.

To work with stone is to be put in touch with an ancient and intuitive desire to create and communicate. I hope these pictures communicate with you.

Bette Cerf Hill April 2005

Charcoal on paper
Floating Objects, 23.5 " x 18"
2005 ©BCH
floating and framed

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Charcoal on paper acrylic and gold leaf
Weight Equals Complex Balance 29X33"
2005 ©BCH
floating and framed

Charcoal and gold leaf
The Messenger, 24" x 18"
2005 ©BCH
floating and framed

Charcoal on paper
In The Beginning, 24" x 18"
2005 ©BCH
floating and framed

Mixed media on paper
There is a Message 24" x 18" ©BCH
floating and framed

Charcoal, acrylic on paper
Language in Stone 23" x 19"
©BCH

Charcoal on paper with acrylic and gold leaf
Feeling for the balance, 24" x 19"
2005 ©BCH
Floating and framed