Exhibited in Santa Cruz in 2001, Laura Vitale’s Portraits Of A Stone Nation are now back by popular demand in book form. The geological name for these amazing sandstone rock forma-tions is the Pigeon Point Cretaceous Sandstone. They are part of one of the most complex rock formations in the world, and trace their origins back 100 million years.
“Even before I knew their history, it was hard for me to not be amazed and impressed by these stone formations,” writes Vitale. “While in their midst, I felt like I’d stepped onto another planet, one of other-worldly landscapes and creatures, faces, anatomies, skulls, and beautiful unnamable things. As I framed the shots with my camera, I felt them perform their magic for me, and I soon became absolutely enchanted by their presence. I knew that these ancient stones had something to teach me about the depths of beauty, about survival, and about timeless endurance.”
Gallery Selections From Book
Blue Landscape 
Written In Stone 
Curvatures 
Rising to the Occasion 
Mirroring Morsels 
Skeleton Rock 
Veins of Color 
Wrinkled 
Protruding Nostrils 
Whaley Takes A Bite 
Colored Fault Lines 
Triangulation 
Punctuation 
Toothless Grin 
Pointed and Curved 
Rocky Breast Plate 
Facing Forward 
Watercolor Rock 
Soft Cavity 
Major Intersection