Rosalie Lang - More About The Formations Series

The Formations Series came about through a number of small but significant experiences. After moving to the Bay Area, I discovered some unforgettable rock formations along the coastline between Pescadero and Big Sur. The unusual rock patterning, textures, and groupings brought me back time after time to those areas. There was much to study, to contemplate, to photograph. I knew that someday such imagery would become part of my work.

Various types of rock are portrayed in the Formations Series. Free-form arrangements of granite boulders, striated sandstone surfaces, rock-strewn tidepools, pebbles scattered across stone ledges, and watermarked sandstone play key roles in my paintings. And then there are the tafoni--those amazing weathered sandstone segments with honeycomb patterns of pits and cavities. Tafoni are featured in a number of paintings (e.g., "Diadem", "Emerging Affinity", "Free-Form", "Lace", "Tafoni Detail", "Tafoni Medallion", etc.).

As the series moved forward, so did my interest to learn more about the various types of rock formations I was painting. In the process of researching tafoni, I found Jon Boxerman's in-depth website at www.tafoni.com to be very helpful. There you will find a wealth of geological information about tafoni--their weathering processes, origins, and evolution, along with Jon's impressive photographs of tafoni examples.

Tafoni Medallion
30 x 24 in., Oil on canvas