Mysterious

What inspired this painting?
A sculpture made from leopard rock.
 
A green and yellow abstract painting isn't what you expect from art inspired by a stone sculpture. Nevertheless, the spots, blotches and squiggles on this particular sculpture perfectly lent themselves to an abstract.
 
During a visit to the wonderful Cotswold Sculpture Park (I highly recommend a visit), Zimbabwean stone sculptures carved from Leopard Rock, caught my eye. The curving shapes of the sculpture looked very pleasing, but it was the texture and markings that really inspired.

This stone is a particularly hard form of Serpentine. It is usually pale green-yellow with dark markings, which may be bold or fine. Mostly the markings are spots, but lines, botches and squiggles can be found within the same piece of stone.
An on-site watercolour sketch established the green and yellow colour palette and patterns. In the studio, an acrylic sketch was an opportunity to try out techniques and colours.
 
The finished piece has a colour palette reminiscent of rocks, moss, woodlands or mountains. Squiggly lines and spots evoke thoughts of maps - rivers, borders, and population densities. Or maybe the painting simply evokes a feeling, reminiscent of a time or place. I enjoy the multitude of possibilities that abstracts illicit.
A sense of mystery.