It was totally unintentional but I'm glad it spoke to you. I simply painted the pattern of the sole and the gunk sticking to the bottom of the shoe. I hope you won't be disappointed when I'm finished and those stones look more like blue paint spatters and a chunk of dried spackling compound, maybe a snip of painters' tape with dirt sticking to it. Although I wasn't thinking of symbolism this time, hang around. I'm working on another with a whole family's shoes. You can probably find a wealth of symbolism in that one.