Melanie Rowe

For thousands of years Cairns have been used as a simple but very effective form of communication for the masses. Stones stacked in columns identified trails, travel routes and established boundaries on land. They were used to memorialize sacred sites where events of cultural or religious significance took place.

In more recent times Cairns have evolved and are used to communicate or provide meaning on a more personal level. For example, carefully placed stones in balanced formations now may serve as an invitation to viewers to pause and reflect, a time for introspection.

Melanie's Glass Cairns beautifully combines columns of detailed flame worked glass components and mounts them on a stone base. These one-of-a-kind sculptures typically incorporate incredibly detailed Mountain and Face beads that stand alone as works of art.

That said, the Cairns are intended to not only provide the viewer with an enduring and pleasing image, but in a more meaningful way, be the source of remembrance for the human experience. To serve as marker of sorts, a direction finder for personal growth or a record keeper of personal achievements or milestones reached along life's pathway.