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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
cairns plural of cairn
Noun
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
Have you ever created a cairn?
Friday, March 15, 2013
Cairns
cairns plural of cairn
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Thanks for sharing these pictures, Jane. Cairns fascinate me, too! I've never tried making one myself, but someone in my town built a bunch of cairns next to an overpass by the river out of rocks and chunks of broken concrete. It's fun to drive by them and see how they evolve, getting knocked down and rebuilt by passers-by. I should take pictures of them sometime... :)
ReplyDeleteyes, take some pics, or better yet, draw them.
DeleteJane, yours was the first blog post I read, early this morning, and it was a delightful beginning to my day. The cairns themselves seem to exude calm and peace, and your photographs are beautiful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda! they do exude calm, don't they?
DeleteJane
ReplyDeleteI should take some photos of the neolithic cairns around these parts and send them to you!! Stone circles....??
The word comes from the Scottish Gaelic càrn, and in Gaelic the plural is actually cairn I believe. But even us English-speaking Scots use cairn as the singular, and cairns as the plural! I also think they are great (though I probably don't pay as much attention as I should - another lesson in opening my eyes!)
Morag
;0)
Morag, you can draw them and use them in the online course you're taking! :-)
DeleteI just love rocks. I think I get swept away with fondling each one and don't make it as far as creating any architecture ^_^
ReplyDeleteI have built one and it's on my studio porch right here in SW Idaho ,no where near a beach :( .
ReplyDeleteDear Jane,
ReplyDeleteMy comment is not directed at you or anyone in particular and is meant only to inform! Please take it in that manner.
While beautiful indeed (and I am an admirer of this form) I think its important to know if you are creating a cairn or simply doing rock balancing. It is also important to know the culture of the area in which you are doing this activity. In Hawaii (my husband was born and raised there) this is not a local custom and one that can bring about a steep fine. Here is an older article about this topic and ongoing issue for Hawaii-ne: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Nov/04/ln/FP511040351.html
I encourage anyone who wishes to build these to do some research and respect the surrounding cultures before leaving them. Live by the adage "take nothing but a picture and leave nothing but a footprint".
Submitted with humility and respect ~
Tish, thanks so much for this input. Actually, in this case, we were building them silently, on the labyrinth we'd drawn in the sand, so they were indeed respectful. In fact, the whole thing was washed away by the tide.........
DeleteJane, thank you for your sweet reply! I was confident you had not done anything wrong! You are too kind and gentle to do other than leave love and joy behind you.
DeleteMaybe one day we can build a labyrinth on a beach in Hawaii and do yoga in public places together! *S*
Ah now is this going to be phase 2 of the circles tutorial I wonder? It could work I reckon lol
ReplyDeleteI do them with pebbles and small stones along hiking paths. I don't think there is anything disrespectful. In fact, we often see them at places where the path is confusing and someone might go the wrong way. They serve as markers to point out a particularly good view or keep one on the right path. I've never seen a cairn anywhere that could possibly be interpreted as disrespectful or changing the environment or culture. Usually they are small, just three or four stones placed atop one another.
ReplyDeleteyes, Sharyn. I remember making them in girl scouts, on the trails.
DeleteRock cairns have been in my radar for many years. I first saw them when I was trekking in Nepal. I've wanted to do a series of art quilts featuring them for some time. I've started some sketches and stampin trying out various compositions. I'm just about ready to translate them into cloth. Thanks for the photos. I find them inspiring.
ReplyDeleteoh, and what a beautiful series of quilts they would make!
DeleteWe've seen many around Lake Superior and I think they are wonderful. And yes, I build a few small ones as reminder of wonderful summers!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a 'reminder' of summer.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane, Thanks for the pictures of your cairns on the beach. While living in Maine and hiking a lot with the AMC we would often come to a cairn at the summit of a mountain. Maine, being extremely rocky, would always have plenty of stones or small pebbles we could add to the cairn. It was sort of like adding part of us to the whole, and we would have a quiet moment while we added our stone. For me, this is a very pleasant memory!
ReplyDeleteSouth of Seaside, Oregon, there is what I call a cairn garden. About a half mile of cairns in all sizes, some over 6 feet. It is only accessible by walking along the shore, but so worth it. I have built cairns along the coast, along my river, in my yard, and along the Colorado River in AZ. The Inuits created huge and gorgeous cairns in Canada and Alaska. Their's are truly works of art.
ReplyDeleteJane - you've got to look at the work of Michael Grab - an artist who balances rocks. It's amazing. http://www.gravityglue.com
ReplyDeleteNot cairns but beautifully balanced rocks that I know you'll love.