It really is a small world: In reviewing some of the places that the 100 mile ART Project has gone, Maggie read about the Mastodon tusk from West Lorne and it turns out that she lived in West Lorne for many years. She went on to say that there were cliffs of clay around there that were amazing and might hold some interesting rocks … So Reiner, Maggie and I headed down to West Lorne to take a look.
We ended up at the E.M. Warwick Conservation Area, just south of West Lorne. If you have never been to it, you really should go and have a look for yourself. It is on the north shore of Lake Erie and by following the trail you end up descending down to the lake with the massive cliffs of clay-mud rising up on one hand and unending water on the other.
There is all kinds of clay here in all colours but the most interesting to me was the top band of yellow clay (which you should be able to make out at the top of the side photograph). This clay is the softest I have ever felt and I am sure it will be perfect for putting underneath my gold leaf when I guild. That being said, I’m not yet sure if the icon I’ll be painting for this project will have any gilding because the soft metals usually used – such as gold or silver or copper – aren’t usually found within my artistic region. But still, such wonderful clay will be useful in other endeavours!
The interesting rocks we thought might be also at that location weren’t to be however. In the end, Reiner said that the clay we were enjoying was far too old to hold what we had theorized might be present. For myself it really didn’t matter, I am far too happy with my clay …
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