Ancient British Rock Art

38 39 In some cases it is hard to dismiss the idea that the shape and natural structure of a rock must have influenced and controlled the overall creation of these designs. In the opposite lower right example there is something fascinating about the use of the edge of the stone, and one wonders if this may record some attempt to communicate with natural spirit elements. Flaws in the surface of a rock are often employed and capitalised upon by petroglyph artists, but, in his 1967 article Geometry of CupandRing Marks, Professor Alexander Thom also suggested that considerable preparation may have been undertaken in smoothing the surface before carving. Doddington, Northumberland Letham Grange Stone, Angus ArEAs EdgEs fitting the art to the canvasChris Mansell