Geology, Memory, and Pattern

Transforming Lake Superior sandstone into ornamental geometry

Sandstone holds stories etched over millennia—layer by layer. In this series, I’ve transformed close-up photographs of sandstone gathered along the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula into repeating geometric patterns that reveal both the organic beauty of the stone and the elegance of structured design.

I love the colors and textures. I’ve collected many sandstone rocks over the years. Probably too many!

Lake Superior’s sandstone has always held a quiet power for me — its warm tones, layered textures, and timeless presence along the Keweenaw shores. In translating these stones into repeating patterns, I feel as though I’m collaborating with the earth itself: honoring what nature has shaped over eons while reimagining it through human geometry and design.

These patterns are both personal and geological — rooted in memory, shaped by place, and endlessly repeating, like the lake’s rhythms against the shore.