The Saxophone Man

     I recently enjoyed a Zoom concert (if you will ) that my friend Gene hosted, which featured a mutual friend of ours named Phil who happens to play the Saxophone. He played some standards for us, and they were just beautiful. He has been an accomplished musician for years, playing both as a solo performer and with a combo called " The gentlemen of Jazz." He currently is living in Hawaii, and most of us knew him from the mainland, mostly here in northern California The audience hailed from many places throughout the U.S. and at the end of the recital, we all hung out for a while and eventually bid each other goodbye as we proceeded to log off.

    Afterward, with the creative juices flowing, an idea came to me as I went back to painting rocks. Given that the glow paint dries hard, it is not inconceivable to move the paint around to form a figure before it sets. Then I recalled Phil playing the saxophone. It took a while to push and pull the paint atop the rock with a skewer stick to fashion a semblance of someone playing the saxophone, but it could be done. The end result was what could be considered a cameo icon of a saxophone player… with musical notes included! Below is the final result.

Bling and Glow

The rocks you see below feature three of my best to date. I have used a high-grade phosphorescent paint, a one-step crackle finish, adornments ( i.e. flower of life hologram sticker ), and a final coat of resin on each rock. The showing is how they appear in regular light ( an incandescent bulb ), a UV blacklight ( a large Industrial strength studio lamp), and moderate darkness to show what the rocks look like when activated. To activate a rock only takes a few seconds, and depending on the quality of Phosphorescent Paint will determine the intensity of the glow and the length of time it will glow. 

Below is the link to this video as it appears on Meta™ ( Facebook )

You can hear it with music and special effects... enjoy !

https://www.facebook.com/575533309/videos/7347018628702933/

Pendants to Keychains

 It seems to me that the Keychains have become pretty popular as of late. It has come to my attention that kids like to hook them onto the zippers of their backpacks. Unlike the pendants, which people purchase to have something to wear that is light, colorful, and stylish. The pendants though have had a limited appeal. For a while, They have been ignored on my display table at the market. It still takes around the same time to produce both the keychains and the pendants. 

The solution I came up with was to turn the pendants into keychains. No problem. I just got some extra lanyard cord, beads, and ring loops to transform each rock creation. The glow, bling, and image appeal are still there. 

The resin casting has been a little tricky. Some resin will be set up quicker than other brands I've tried. The Industrial strength UV light will usually cause the resin to harden in less than two minutes. The resin I've experimented with lately works better if I place the rock outside in the sun.

The step I didn't mention is rock drilling. A diamond tip Dremel™ is perfect for making a hole even if it takes a while to drill through sandstone. Eventually, the bits will get chewed up if you don't place the rock on top of a wet sponge in a small bowl when drilling. Pushing the rock down to have the water covering the rock is the trick. It keeps the bit wet, causing less friction than trying to drill the thing raw. Below are some samples of the pendants I've turned into keychains.

The pendant shown below was transformed into a keychain without much effort. The design is from an early watercolor I had painted.

Downsizing

     Yep, I'm scaling back and moving forward at the same time. Today I purchased a smaller table for my new smaller car (Yes, I traded in the 2017 Ford Escape for a 2017 Ford Focus Hatchback ). I've also been painting smaller rocks that collectors can carry with them and show to friends. 

    Besides, it has become clear to me that most of my clientele are usually tourists who like to get a little gift item to bring back for the kids. They pack easily and won't get stopped at the gate when taking them on the airplane. The other group would be women who would like to add one for their meditation altar or to have a bedside bookmark stone to save a page while reading the latest novel. 

    Then the other group would be girls ( and boys ) between the ages of seven and thirteen. They like to buy my keychains to put on their backpacks or have a pendant to show off to their friends with the little black light that dazzles the color in the dark. Lastly, there are the individual collectors who admire my work and gravitate towards something uniquely one-of-a-kind. I'm beyond grateful to be able to have these gift rocks for anyone who enjoys rocks and their possibilities.

Below is this week's "Rock of the Week" it has some invisible qualities once it is place under the UV light

Ideas waiting to happen

 We have all heard about how intimidating a blank canvas can be. Sometimes, I feel that it is important to work backward, just to reflect and to see where we've been when it comes to value placement. What has been discovered in terms of methods and materials that have been incorporated in an artist's work? What results have been effective and have been carried to the next level? Is an artist ever satisfied? The jury is still out. 

    Form, content, structure, medium, spatial relationships, complementary colors, vibrancy, etc., etc. all play a role in the successful output of a piece. Monetary compensation should be the least of concerns but always is. One has to make a living, or basically, an agreed-upon value of the work produced. Time, materials, inspiration, perspiration all count and should.

    You set the standard for this assessment.No one can place a value on a piece higher than the one who creates it... even if a client's price offering may be much higher in a monetary sense. This agreed-upon evaluation is usually proposed (if not by the artist themselves, at least by their agent) to ascertain its worth on the open market.

     It has been said that some notable art teachers have had students fishing their sketches from a wastebasket and were able to sell these items on the dark web for a considerable price. All this unbeknownst to the artist that had ever intended for such a transgression to occur. 

    Truly, art appreciation and speculation, in the final analysis, are quite subjective. Even if society has placed a high premium on a contemporary piece, that work will ultimately be time-tested in the grand scheme of things.

    Will Banksy or the Beatles remain historical figures in say... three hundred years? Considering their relative importance in a specific area should render their contributions to future societal imperatives. 

    What does all of this have to do with one's idea waiting to happen? Well, there is nothing more powerful it has been said, than an idea whose time has come. The same is true not only in the art world but in the world as a whole.

Below is a stress-out rock

Russian Gulch

About four miles north of Jenner is the Russian Gulch. It is at the bottom of a long steep ravine. Many people pass it by, not even aware that it is a State Beach with a restroom and parking area.

Although to get to the beach, one has to travel through about one-quarter of a mile of jungle brush until you reach a clearing, and there it is...  the great Pacific Ocean. The beach itself is only about one hundred yards in length from one end to the other.

There is one caveat. You then have to cross a creek to get to the actual beach. This means that you will probably have to roll up your pant legs and take off your shoes to get across. This can be tricky because there are a gazillion rocks covered with green slime, that can be quite slippery. 

The beach itself also has a billion flat, round rocks that are left on the shore if the tide hasn't taken them out. These are perfect for collecting and carrying back across the gulch in a canvas bag. The creek isn't necessarily there to cross if the weather has been dry for a long time ( which it has because of the draught ). However, all it takes is one good storm, and then a river forms which makes it near impossible to cross.

Also, if you have brought a picnic lunch, don't leave it unattended. Several seagulls have shocked many tourists to find their sandwiches and potato chips strewn across the shore. A huge boulder at the north end of the beach is a pretty good spot to throw down your backpacks. You can even climb up a few crags and find a spot to sit down to watch the waves roll up and crash against the shore. You may be surprised to not see another soul on the beach depending on the day of the week and the time of day.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, go and discover this place for yourself. It is the best place I know to gather a few rocks to take home and paint.

Valentine's Day 2022

 Maybe "Groundhog Day" should be given more prominence than Valentine's Day this year. After all, the news seems to be the same. The weather here also seems to be about the same ( at least here in California ... i.e. continued draught ) and the news protocol for the masses has been all about the Covid 19 pandemic. Enough about that. Let's talk painted rocks.

Personally, I do enjoy spending my time painting rocks for the upcoming Farmer's Market every weekend. I alternate my participation in both the Calistoga and the Sebastopol markets, but this is another story. The thing that has occupied my attention lately is the materials and processes discovered in making an appearance upgrade to the recent stones.

Aside from resin casting for a more permanent protective clear coat, I've incorporated the use of a one-step craquelure that gives the rocks a very spontaneous, antique look that makes for an intriguing finish. I still use a border of glow paint as is my usual signature style, but this process has me very interested in future projects. Below is the rock of the month which is a pendant I created through the use of an old watercolor that was shrunk and adhered to a pan base.

Christmas Day 2021

 Most everyone in this area is experiencing a wild weather pattern with lots of rain and snow. My brother in Chicagoland is enjoying a nice comfortable winter's day in the mid-fifty degrees. He plays Santa Claus every year to bring joy and sparkle to everyone in from markets to businesses, residences, and clubs. 

Yesterday at our local Farmer's Market, Santa did not make an appearance but there were still a lot of last-minute shoppers who appeared selecting a few gift rocks as stocking stuffers. A keychain blacklight was given along with any purchase that claimed to be glow-in-the-dark. Lately, it seems that some of the paint will not glow unless activated for some time. Thus the blacklight which will naturally make the colors "Pop". 

Also, it seems that some folks have had concerns about the materials used on the rocks sold. The glow in the dark paint is non-toxic and will glow only when activated for a short time by outer light. ( This paint does not contain Radium™ which was used on watch faces many years ago. ) That being said, Some colors used will still glow brighter when activated than others. This does not mean that they are any more volatile.

Recently, Using just a small dot of resin as a final coat on many of the rocks has proven beneficial. This protective coat will make the rocks practically indestructible and water-proof. The shine is fantastic and when completely hardened, the resin coat is safe... yet is not advisable to have near high heat or as a decoration in an aquarium. It is best to leave the rock in an unobtrusive setting away from young children. Small kids may tend to think of it as candy. Best for children above the age of seven. Below is this week's "Rock of the Week". It was decorated with a family crest known as a mon. This was a commissioned piece, but the preference was for a blue, rather than a green background.

What you see is what you get

     Most people are pretty clear about the phosphorescent glow and how it works. It is explained in a simple way about how, if you have one of those many "glow in the dark " items, they will be activated by an exterior light source and the sustaining glow will last pretty much in direct proportion to the amount of light that gets absorbed. The light source can be direct sunlight, a regular light bulb, or most effectively by a UV blacklight. 

    Below, a meditation rock was painted with phosphorescent paint and showcased under regular light (and) a UV blacklight to show how it appears on both sides after being activated. You may notice that the glow factor won't last that long... but at least will last long enough that you should still be able to find it without a usual light source available.

You will see it activated first under the UV blacklight. After this, the rock will be turned over and with the lights turned off you can see how much of the glow is sustained.