The ever-threatening presence watching over Nova Scotia’s Highway 103 — a pair of large rocks painted as eyes — will soon be no more.
The “eyeball rocks” on the left side of the road between exits 7 and 6 heading towards Halifax will be destroyed as the province prepares to twin the highway. “I’m a little sad to see them go, but if they have to go, they have to go,” said Jason Smith, one of the original artists behind the eyes.
Smith and his friend Neil created the artwork with their children in October 2017, when the side of the road was cleared and the rocks were exposed. So far, the creators have not been publicly identified, although Smith said Neil prefers to remain anonymous.
“I’ve never seen a better canvas for rock art than when they showed up,” Smith said, adding that he called Neil right away and they came up with a plan before anyone else had the chance.
He said the rocks were originally not going to be eyes, but emojis. The group of six did it on a Saturday, painting the background blue and then yellow circles, before an off-duty Public Works highway supervisor showed up.
That put a damper on things, Smith said, so they left for the day. A few days later when they returned, someone had added graffiti to the rocks, so they cleaned it up.
And as they did so, they were struck by the fact that the rocks looked like eyes. That’s when they added the two students.
“We took a step back and it started to come to life… and after that, it just had a personality.” The painted rocks have become a beloved unofficial landmark, not unlike others along Highway 103: from a cartoon frog to a cat painted in Maud Lewis’ signature style.
Smith says he is not responsible for any other road art (just the eyes) that he and Neil have maintained and touched up over the years.
He’s also not responsible for painting bloodshot red lines on his eyes when cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018, but he’d like to know who did it.
“We laughed and laughed and laughed. We left it like that for a while and then we decided they needed the Visine treatment,” he said.
Plans to blow up the rocks have been in the works for months, but a photograph of them posted on Facebook last month with details about his death provoked strong reactions.
“It’s sad that they can’t do something like find a way to cut them out of the bedrock to move them. A community treasure like that should be preserved,” one Facebook user wrote.
“I love these rocks, when [see] I know that my exit is around the corner and that makes me smile. “It’s sad to see them go,” someone else commented.
An unofficial landmark just off Nova Scotia’s Highway 103 will soon cease to exist. The province will destroy a set of rocks painted to look like eyes at the end of this month to make way for the twinning of the highway. Jason Smith is one of the original artists behind the eyes.
Others were optimistic.
“Maybe when they clear the path, there could be another big rock further back so someone can paint again,” another person wrote.
Explosions expected later this month
Gary Andrea, spokesman for the Department of Public Works, said the rocks are expected to break later this month.
Construction has already started nearby the road and has been gradually approaching the rocks.
“We understand that these rocks are special to many people who drive on Highway 103 and we are looking for ways to preserve them. Unfortunately, if they were left in place they would present a distraction and a significant safety issue,” Andrea said.
“The safety of Nova Scotia drivers will continue to be our number one priority as we work to twin this section of highway.”
Smith said it’s disturbing when the rocks explode, but he and Neil would like to be there when it happens.
“If they’re going to blow them up, it would be fun to press the button anyway,” he said, laughing.
‘Live in images and memories’
It will be something he will tell his grandchildren about, he said.
“The legend lives on in pictures and memories and sometimes they are better sometimes, right?”
Smith said he and Neil noted the attention the eyes received over the years, but “they stayed in the shadows because the anonymity of the artists was a fun thing for us.”
He said they only decided to come forward when they learned the rocks would be destroyed.
“We wanted it to be something that would make people laugh and it certainly did, so I’m really proud of it,” Smith said.
Smith said he didn’t expect all the love the rocks received over the years, but he’s grateful for everyone who enjoyed them.
“Thank you for the support. I hope it makes people smile because that was the intention.”
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