From the Oil Painter's Journal:

Roses and a Stone Wall
Even though my grandfather had a heart condition he built this wall as I suppose all stone wall's are built, by hand fitting each rock. Smaller stones line the top and are knitted carefully between the irregularly shaped larger ones. Like many things that are handmade there is a charm in the way that the artisan's hand is revealed. The meandering way the wall widens here or is fitted tighter there remind us of our humble human abilities and yet, if you look closely, you will see that the wall is a pieced puzzle demanding careful consideration. My grandfather was a scientist and time spent working the garden was probably a natural complement to the other more cerebral side of his life.

A friend's father told him that my grandfather built the wall and then died of a heart attack. Both were true but many years lay in-between.

©2006 DOUG RUGH. Neither text nor artwork may be reproduced without permission.