The theme of this painting is obviously rocks, more specifically, the Stone Age with a dose of pareidolia thrown in. For those unfamiliar with the peculiar word pareidolia, it refers to the human tendency to perceive recognizable images in objects, especially faces. This piece was inspired by a location in the iconic Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, which I discovered while hiking in the area. The site had some rocks and boulders that definitely reminded me of faces, although I exaggerated them in my artwork for effect.

To pull this off, a fair amount of detail and texture was required. However, I strove to imply texture without getting overly tight with the brushwork. A Stone Age woman was added to the scene to indicate that the scenario is from the past. Her outfit may be sexier than what women would actually wear in the Paleolithic period, but I compensated for that by portraying her as strong, proud, and confident. She is not in scale to the real location for artistic purposes, but basically, no one would realize that.

By blending natural rock formations with human imagination, this artwork invites viewers to ponder the connection between the ancient past and our modern perceptions.