The Rock(s) of the Week

Every week I try to post this week's "Rock of the Week" but admittedly,I've been a bit late in this effort.More importantly, is that my visitors will appreciate that I have always come up with something new to inspect as collectors.

This week I am featuring several rocks to make up for the rocks I haven't posted. What you see below is a collection of rocks on top of a plexiglass table I designed many years ago. The rocks were featured at the Farmer's Market in Calistoga back in 2013.The table seemed a little impractical after that time because it was getting pretty scratched up.Today, I am happy to report that all those rocks you see found happy homes.More to come in the weeks ahead.

The Magic of Rocks and Relatives

A few weeks ago, my nephew Mark and his two daughters Nicole and Brianna (my grandnieces) as well as my grandnephew Noah came to visit the west coast and catch up with their extended family during their stay in California.Along the way,they planned a drive up the northern coast road towards Oregon.This would be after they had spent a night or two in San Francisco at my sister Martha's house.I was going to meet them there, but would be working on Sunday and would be too bushed to drive down to the City and back.It was then decided that we could meet at a small cafe in Jenner, where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean.This is small, quaint little town where one can order fresh salmon sandwiches to eat at a picnic table while listening to seagulls squawk along the waterfront

This scene was idyllic, and a wonderful afternoon where we had plenty of time to share stories and laughter.So before they had planned on leaving, I suggested to that we stop up the road about four miles,so that they could take a short hike and get the full experience of a west coast beach. So what better place to visit than Russian Gulch where I go to collect my spirit rocks! Naturally,they were all enthusiastic about the idea, so off we went for this quick jaunt across a curvy, switch-back highway (which would be just a small taste of what was in store for the one hundred mile trip planned for that day). Eventually we pulled over into a not-so-obvious turnout.Then we got out of the cars and hiked a quarter of a mile through a jungle until we reached the shore.

The weather was gloriously sunny and a bit windy, but the fresh air did us all good.It was explained to them that they now had a job to do. They would look for this specifically described sandstone that would be used to make a Spirit Rock. It must be perfectly symmetrical, flat and round without blemishes and preferably small enough to put in ones pocket. Now the hunt was on.They all scoured the many areas along the shore to come up with a big sack full of these type of rocks.This pleased their great uncle immensely. Left to his own devices, it would have taken a few hours to accomplish what was accomplished in a much shorter time.Aside from this,My nephew Mark climbed up the face of a cliff while young Noah took pictures of the shoreline with his fancy camera.Then my niece Brianna proceeded to climb up on the most prominent rock there to have her picture taken. She looked absolutely beautiful facing west looking out over the ocean.This view was not to be missed.

When we eventually headed back to the cars, it was a given that they would each have a painted rock to take with them on their adventurous escapade.Below are some of the pictures taken that day

Catching up

This past few weeks have been very busy at both the markets where I sell rocks, especially Sebastopol. I am grateful for all the new collectors and have enjoyed meeting all the people who have stopped by my vendors site.Today I am busy replenishing my supply of rocks to sell. Admittedly, this is a "Good problem" my sister might say.It tells me that what I am doing is attracting a degree of popularity and that people find the product I've created valuable.

The "Product" if you will, is more an exercise in free form creativity. I can honestly say that I don't always know what the outcome of each rock I paint will be. This is why I will freely state that all my rocks are individually painted and that no two are alike; Essentially, your rock will pick you if you are meant to have it. This may be a stretch, but it does emphasize the particularity of each creation, and it's appeal.

My hope is that everyone is pleased with their purchase, and if they have any questions about the process I follow in creating these rocks, I will be happy to share what I know. Below is the most recent,"Rock of the week"