In the end I decided to use just the tree bark and the smooth white stone, without any of its underside, as the basis for an abstract painting. And to ‘zoom out’ a bit so that the curve on the top of the stone came down on both sides -- but not to the same point.
I like the contract between the strong verticals in the tree trunk to the curve of the stone. And the contract between the rough bark and the smooth stone. I visualise it as an abstract painting done with a palette knife, applied roughly for the bark (and mostly likely with some texture paste added to the paint), and in broad, sweeping strokes for the stone, following the top curve.
