by Gregory Skidmore

Created on: April 16, 2008

My good friend Kevin makes things out of stones. Masonry is an art form and Kevin gets pleasure out of placing stones into unique formations. His property is dotted with markers, posts and fences, all made of stone. At first it looks odd, like a small Stonehenge but it grows on you.

He's not the type to roam the fields and woods looking for unusual specimens or go to a quarry and buy cut stone or go to a landscaping center and pay for stone like brick that has been fired or formed from some unnatural goop.

Kevin checks the highways for signs of significant construction. Here in Missouri we are blessed with an abundance of limestone. You can't dig or move much earth without running into an outcropping. Road crews have to deal with huge natural stone formations with dynamite, pneumatic drills and huge hammering crushers. Kevin finds a likely site then sifts through the piles of construction debris for stones meeting his size requirements and of likeable shape. In essence these are man made stones, they bear little resemblance to the original emergent form.

All of this construction debris is taken to a stone mill where it is crushed, ground and powdered to be used in a variety of industrial applications. Kevin saves a few pieces from a sandy end and populates his yard with masonry.

This stone hunting along the highway is all part of the artistry of found objects. It employs recognition, reformation and recycling in an attempt at creation. Some disparage these attempts as an involvement in Junk art but to me the endeavor is as original as any painting or sculpture and should be allowed the highest merit.

Eventually Kevin says he wants to build a masonry wall at the far end of his property. A border than will blend in to the natural woods but provide a barrier to marauding deer. Deer can ruin a garden overnight. They love to strip bark from ornamental trees and browse on expensive bushes. We don't fault the deer their mischievous ways after all it is human intrusion that tempts animal activity. If a stone wall will make an accommodation, then so be it. Nature and man are not exclusive.

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