Humber rock art mystery solved

When Peter Riedel looks at a riverbed, he sees a puzzle in the rocky surface.Riedel, 48, is the Toronto photographer responsible for the mysterious rock statues that appeared in the Humber River near the Old Mill this weekend.People who live in the area thought it was the work of engineering students or anonymous urban artists. A story about the mysteryappeared in Tuesday’s paper.“It was a real thrill to see it in the paper,” Riedel, 48, said at his home Tuesday. “It was a nice way to wake up with a coffee.”Riedel waded into the Humber River on Sunday afternoon and balanced rocks for four hours, with a crowd of about 30 watching on shore. He made 30 formations, each within 10 minutes. Some have the look of an inukshuk; another looks remarkably like an egret that visits the river. (“That’s my favourite one,” Riedel said.)

Tuesday afternoon, Riedel returned to talk about his work and fix a few pieces that had toppled in the wind. A crowd had gathered to take photos, not realizing the artist was in their midst.

“Are they glued?” Ingrid Hovesen asked her husband. “Does he just pick up any old stone?”

Riedel hears both questions a lot.

“There’s a centre of gravity, an invisible spine where it will stay in place. You just have to jiggle it around until it’s standing on its own,” he said. “Over time you get a really good feel for matching rock surfaces and counter balancing.” ...

via Humber rock art mystery solved - thestar.com.