At the crest of the overlook. | 44.951953/-92.505037

2023

27" x 21"     soil, acrylic binder, canvas  

July 18,2023

Temperature: 77°

Humidity: 48%

Wind: 6 mph, cool

It is partly cloudy, but the sun is hot on my back.

Dragonflies on a crawling shrub; monarchs feeding on blooming milk-vetch. Wrens chattering. I can hear cars in the distance, but I feel very isolated from society here. Peaceful. Swallows are gliding low to the ground.

I meandered for about 20 minutes before choosing a location. I stood still for another 5 or so. A bee buzzed around my hat while I collected the sample from 44.951953/-92.505037. 1:45 pm.

My skin is itching.

UNREFINED SAMPLE WEIGHT: 485 grams.

August 16, 2023

43 minutes.

Began refining sample. It has several roots and many small stones. When ground, it has an orange, almost reddish undertone. However, the sand, of which there is a decent amount, is very light and desaturates the red hue considerably.

August 27, 2023

18 minutes.

There is a flat stone about an inch long at its widest point. It fell apart into pale yellow shards when struck.

A small quartz stone shattered and revealed a shimmering, amber interior.

I see some small, black particles in the sample I am grinding. It is unclear whether these are stone fragments from the sample itself or cast iron contaminants. I will proceed regardless.

September 2, 2023

9 minutes.

September 3, 2023

1 hour, 11 minutes.

There was a dry, 9-inch-long clump of grass (3 leaves) with a root ball still attached. It resisted the mortar and pestle at first but began to incorporate into the sample and flake into thin strands within a few minutes. I also encountered a thick, woody, 4-inch fragment of root. It fractured into long strands fairly easily when struck by the pestle.

A tiny, hard, cream-colored fragment. It is likely stone but has a porous texture, somewhat like a sponge. Broke very easily; inside is like chalk.

Another stone, about a quarter inch at its widest point. Incredibly smooth, as though polished. Incredibly smooth, as though polished. It shattered outward when struck, revealing crystal quartz inside.

September 6, 2023

25 minutes.

September 8, 2023

14 minutes.

Several flecks of cast iron contaminated the sample. I removed as much of it as I could with tweezers but could not remove all of it.

Complete.

TOTAL GRINDING TIME: 3.00 hours.

REFINED SAMPLE WEIGHT: 477 grams.

September 23, 2023
Added 24 grams (1/20 volume by weight) of acrylic biner to sample and applied mixture evenly to canvas.

September 24, 2023

Dry and complete.