Expanding outward

 Ever since shaving my beard and moustache off, I've been feeling a bit vulnerable.This is a good thing. Change is a good thing.People tell me that I look much younger. Thanks!

Today, painting rocks hasn't quite taken a back seat yet.My artwork is expanding to include other pursuits. Namely, mobiles, small sculptures, minature paintings etc. Still looking for that thing that continues to inspire, yet continue doing what puts my mind at peace.Below is a sample of what I've been up to...

Kali

ear ring stand

Iphone user

Shifting Gears

 Welcome Back! Most of you are aware of the joy I get from painting rocks. It's been over fifteen years ( you can scroll down through the episodes of this blog if you don't believe me.)Well, having supported myself for many years in the hospitality industry, it was a relief to finally get to do my own thing. Even though I don't sell my rocks online (which would be another full time job) I have done commissions for people who know me, and know how to contact me. If you don't, come visit me at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays in Calistoga.

So, I am beginning to focus more on my drawing and painting skills by producing works that I will be showing for the whole month at the St. Helena Library. They will feature a retrospective of my work from the 90's to the present day. This is a how I get inspired to further my career as a working artist.

The subject matter of these paintings will vary. Some are representational, some are abstract using a variety of mediums. Everything from water-colour, acrylic, graphite and colored pencils. I don't paint in oils, although I have been schooled in such.I'm more inclined to worked in a very spontaneous fashion and when I am in the "Zone", I don't always know what will emerge when I come out of it. If you are in the area, come down Adams street off the main road where the Chevron station is, and travel eastward for about a third of a mile then make a left. The St. Helena Library is right there. A little reception will take. place between four and five p.m. on Tuesday, March 4th. Hope to see you there! 

Below is a sample of the work I will be showing..

Expectations

     Yesterday was fabulous. Not just because I was able to sell many of my showcase items at the Sebastopol Market, but because it was a wonderfully energetic and lovely a day as would never have been expected. In fact, I seriously did not want to get out of bed. Dreading the thought of driving over the hill in freezing cold weather ( the roads were very icy and dangerous ) was not at all appealing. Then the thought of standing around and having no one stopping to view my glow-in-the-dark gift rocks was beginning to haunt me.   Ugh.

 It was time to "Let go, and let God". I did just that. My prayer for the day was to have the Higher power "Surprise me". I left it at that. Prayers of petition or begging are becoming things of the past. Prayers of gratitude are taking their place...Thankfully.

Even the writing of this blog is becoming a prayerful exercise, that helps me to release negative expectations. Besides, those expectations are merely feelings about experiences that have happened in the past.

Today, I have hope that becomes an abiding faith that things are happening in accordance with the Divine will. Also, one's day can start over at any time. Many aspire to an idea that a change in attitude is not beyond their power of choice.

This choice has consequences that can go either way.

Is your attitude beyond your power of choice? 

Chocolate or Vanilla?

All this being said, the farmer's market turned out to be a fabulously abundant sales day. What a surprise! Was this my expectation? perhaps,but the real surprise was when my attitude shifted upon asking my higher power for a surprise.

The Higher Power has NEVER failed. The answers are always... Yes, No or...

LATER 😉

Below is this week's "Rock of the Week". 

Surprise! 

Nope,it's not a rock but an abalone shell shaped like a heart. Being that St.Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching, nothing could be a better reminder to follow your heart.

Breathe

     In a word, yes... breathe. What a winter it has been. We don't need to reiterate what has gone on in the world in the past few months. It is no surprise that this blog has been delayed for awhile, and I apologize for that.

    This is a pivotal time we are living in, and we are all in this together.Everything from the enviroment to politics worldwide is calling us to global reckoning in my opinion.

    Although I am on the internet quite a bit, I haven't watched the T.V. in over a year now ( mostly because don't want to pay for the full Xfinity package ).It is not a necessity. If I really want to watch the news I can find it online Besides, with all the ways we can access information, we might as well consider ourselves really to be a global village.

    We are glued to our communication devices which in a way makes it easy to edit ourselves while texting and to present ourselves in a pleasant manner through Facebook. Now, talking to Siri, Alexa or the house cat quickly replaces the need for human interaction.People still find Facetime video a little foreboding.

    As for quick information, Their's YouTube and Google for our educational purposes and/or "How to's ". Then we have Netflix, Prime, Hulu etc. for entertainment. We really don't need anyone anymore it seems.Why get groceries or food when there is Door Dash! Heaven's to Betsy. The list goes on... and rest assured there is an app for that.

    Boredom or loneliness has become epidemics in their own form.The quickening as it were, is pointing even closer to the Singularity.There is no going back. This is the time to go within, and make the time to be creative.We still can have the world of our dreams if we can all admit that we are truly in this together.

Below are some "Rocks of the Week" which aren't one rock but several which I glued to a canvass! These rocks are made to look like they were washed ashore.Enjoy the days ahead...

Repitition and resolutions

 What starts out as a groove, can turn into a rut in short order. Admittedly, it's hard to break out of old habits. Painting gift rocks is no exception. Artistic designs, like the neuropathways that get formed in our minds, grow together. Like attracts like. Quite naturally, when we find something we enjoy doing, we like to repeat the process. It is pleasing when we obtain a desired result. Patterns form, results are weighed, and a cycle completes itself... until something upsets this seemingly predictable, however pleasing result. Hmmm...

    Without getting too deep into the psychology, suffice to say that everything is like everything else, (except sometimes not always).Boredom and/or frustration may ensue. Lethargy can follow close behind. Predictability can be a double edged sword. Are we rushing to judgement about a certain outcome, or are we staying in observation mode?

Granted,in order to obtain a signature stye it will usually involve repeating it.There is no other way around it.Just as in making all the mistakes there are to make, it will mean that one has to go through the process of making countless vain attempts until  refinement and a particular beauty has been revealed. Also, there is not guarantee that this process or result can be repeated.

Philospher and Psychologist Herbert Spencer was quoted as saying that there is one principle that will leave us in everlasting ignorance. That principle is contempt prior to investigation.Stay with the process. More will be revealled!

Below is this week's Rock of the Week

The First day of 2025

 Hiking around in Bothe State Park at 2pm on the first day of the new year is such a treat. Families out for a little stroll on the muddy paths, navigating their way past slimey rocks can be a bit of a challenge but all fun. (Just as I am composing this blog, a mild earthquake just struck. It's 6:34pm on Weds. January 1st.) One never knows what is coming down the pike.

    Anyway, i am promising to myself to make a few "projections". about how to proceed throughout the new year. Resolutions are out of the question.One is to keep this blog updated. The other is to continue to develop my artistic ability, and to share it with others...subscribing to the belief that I must give away what I wish to keep. 

    This has been a tough lesson. Fears of being a sucker is difficult to shake, because of who is usually first to step into the trap of mindless gulibility. No one with a kind mind likes to witness the gaming or manipulating of others to get what they may think they want. Especially if it's the laughter at the expense of another.

 Already, a reluctance to publish this is cultivating a bit of dread and it is only the first blog post of 2025.Another projection is the quest for integrity and genuine humility as a bi-product of being truthful. Wish me luck with that.

May this coming year be fulfilling in all your greatest and truest desires, and may joy fill all of our hearts.

Your Spirit Rocks !

Gratitude

It isn't always easy to come by it. Rolling out of bed around 6:30am without pushing any "snooze" alarms, usually means it is time to get going.Generally, asking the higher power to "Take charge" is a good practice even before the feet hit the ground. After a shower and that first cup of Joe, it's time to be reminding myself that it's going to be a GREAT DAY! 

The Farmer's Markets have been pretty good the past couple of weeks.Some folks are getting some gifts for the holidays after they have arrived in Calistoga for the annual Tractor parade. It's rumored to be one of the best attended small town seasonal parades in the nation! Quite an honor for sure.

On a sad note, one of our favorite vendors has passed. Sia ( The gentleman that sells the woven baskets from Africa) took a fall and did not recover. Your kind thoughts and prayers go with him.His partner and co-worker should still be at the Sebastopol Market to the best of our knowlege. Our condolences go out to his wonderful family and friends.Hopefully, she will be returning to the Calistoga market as well.

Today, I am truly grateful for all the people of our community.

People here in Calistoga really do care about their neighbors. At least this has been my experience and hope that it will continue to be for years to come. Below are this week's Rock(s) of the Week.

*Being that everyone of my neighbors are going full throttle with their own decorations, I've decided to be a little modest with my mini tree and stacked rock Christmas tree. Enjoy!

Hibernation

    Over the years, Hallmark™ holidays have been milestones that have marked many seasonal episodes and memorable events of our past.Especially in this country. For better or worse, businesses have scaled up as the advent of the next holiday approaches. As a youngster, the anticipation of each of these days brings with it an overarching sense of dread.Today, it is consumerism and how we roll with it. I think that it is okay to take another tack this year, by not buying what we don't need, or guilt-tripping ourselves into buying stuff for others ( that they don't need ). I am encouraging people to watch the documentary called "BUY" on Netflix™. It has changed my outlook on the state of our economy and the planet as a whole. God only knows what the next year will bring.

    The rains have arrived and it seems that summer has ended and winter has begun. What, dare say, has happened to fall and spring? This past week, a horrendous storm visited the North Bay and I got to stay inside all week... painting, drawing, cooking, eating and generally getting a case of cabin fever.

    Today we got a respite and the sun peeked out for a bit.It's nice to get outside and breathe in the petrichoric environment. There, you have a new word to add to your vocabulary ( sorry for the presumptusness ).Multi-tasking and distracting myself does not help if you are trying to squeeze glow-in-the-dark paint that behaves like Elmer's glue onto a rock. Nuff said. Wait! Soup is boiling over on the stove. See what I mean. Something tells me that we are not alone on this one.

Below is this week's "Rock of the Week"

Comprehending Serenity

 Spending a lot of time on the computer lately. Mostly by choice, and some by circumstance. It used to be that when you said you were spending time on the computer it meant that you were involved with editing a novel or working out some mathematical formula. 

Needless to say, I'm sitting on my butt wasting precious time that could be spent doing other things, like... uh, painting rocks for instance 😆 Nevertheless, it is what I do ( like Donald Fagen sings about ). 

    Last week, I was out at the beach collecting some rocks to paint when I looked around and noticed that no one was on the beach. Slowly I looked around, and aside from the waves crashing on the shore I noticed three ducks floating in the creek that runs through a trough before you arrive on the rocky part of the beach. Sitting down for awhile, I again looked back at the creek and suddenly noticed that the three ducks were ten feet away from me and walking right towards me.

    Not making a move, they were all quacking jibberish as they came right up to me. I had no food to give them and told them so. They didn't seem to mind and one even plopped themselves down. Naturally , I struck up a conversation with them and noticed how absolutely stunning their feathers were. These mallards had shiny rainbows reflecting off their wings which they seemed quite proud of displaying. I would have taken a picture with my IPhone but the thought came to me, " Why do I need proof of this?" and let the idea go. Besides, it was nice just enjoying thier company.When the Alpha duck started quacking loudly, I turned and noticed that there were three women arriving on the beach. They looked at me curiously from across the beach as they continued walking by me and my new friends. Not wanting to draw too much attention, I simply asked, "Do you have any cookies I could give to these ducks?" They said, "No, but we have an apple". I let it go at that and figured that the ducks would probably approach them when they settled on a place to sit down. They did.

    I got up and began to walk away (on my own) to the far end of the beach which was only about 100 yards long. Eventually I noticed that one of the women began to follow me. It was a little bit disconcerting, but I didn't think too much about it. Suddenly, she got fairly close and spoke, "Chris, is that you?" Surprised, I saw that it was my friend, Mary from the Calistoga Cares food distribution where I volunteer. "Wow, what are you doing out here?" I exclaimed . " We just decided to go to the coast today, and this is where we ended up ! Apparently,  this was a rather synchronous event because this was her first time there. She was just as bamboozled as I was, but after a short chat we just chalked it up to fate. 

    All three women were about my age, not that it mattered, but it got me to thinking... am I being stalked? Don't flatter yourself, Christopher. You are just another buffalo in the herd.

Below is this week's Rock of the Week...