Notched Ovate Bannerstone c. 4800

This Notched Ovate Bannerstone was made by the Archaic peoples using ground stone. It has a curious symmetry, almost like a schematic drawing or technical plan, but the material, that dark stone, makes it so sensual. I think about the maker, slowly grinding and polishing this material. What tool did they use? And what did it feel like to hold it? How long did it take to make it? It’s such a slow process, and I wonder what the maker was thinking about as they worked. The stone seems almost soft in places, like polished leather. But then, when you look at the notches, they are so sharp and precise. Art, whether painting or sculpture, is never really finished, is it? It’s just something that you stop working on for a while. Sometimes you come back to it, sometimes you don’t. But the process is always there, waiting for you.