Pamela J. Polley

Cave Paintings

The Harder They Come, 24 x 36 inchesThe Harder They Come, 60cm x 90cm

Many Rivers to Cross, 24 x 36 inchesMany Rivers to Cross, 60cm x 90cm

Pressure Drop, 24 x 36 inchesPressure Drop, 60cm x 90cm

Sitting in Limbo, 24 x 36 inchesSitting in Limbo, 60cm x 90cm

Sweet and Dandy, 24 x 36 inchesSweet and Dandy, 60cm x 90cm

More hiking in Hocking Hills, Ohio, uncovered these images in the cold rainy March of 2004. It's amazing how many colors your eyes can see on a dark, gray day, in caves made of predominately the same sandstone. Something that continues to fascinate me about this area and something I continue to explore in my paintings, is the chiaroscuro effects the light has on the landscape throughout all seasons and weather (the series Spiritland is also of the same region, different season).

The paintings, as rock formations and clouds often do, manifested themselves anthropomorphically; look closely and you can see the faces and feelings deep within. Titles are taken from reggae great Jimmy Cliff, whose music, to me at least, emphasizes the human condition.