Rocks Don't Die

That which is spiritual, has suddenly claimed a certain cachet. If you are spiritual, you are non-materialistic and don't put value in things that are of this world. Rocks however, in this sense can be considered immaterial. Usually, they have no apparent value except what are considered to be collectibles. Do rocks have mortality? Questions like these too often fall into the realm of the philosophical.

The surface of many beach and river rocks will usually have a life form of blue green algae, but generally speaking, the only rocks that may have contained life are now fossils. Crystals grow by accumulation. A living cell grows by assimilation. Conciousness is certainly not necessary for a living being within our sense of living, so therfore the lack of consciousness in a rock is not evidence that it is not living.But living like a tree or a plant? Hmmm... I think not.

A rock is part of a process that "digests" material, uses energy to reform the basic building blocks time and again.Thus, the atoms in a rock are just as "alive" as the atoms in our body. In its basic sense, we are just a more complex reformation of atoms than the rock, still within the same overall lifecycles of those atoms.  

Rocks are samples of objects that are time tested. Like what is considered art, it may have no inherant value in the grand scheme of things, other than the value that has been assigned to it,  and ultimately is a product of many things that are often time-tested and remain mysterious.How long does it take for a rock to form or disintegrate? How long does an art piece last?

 I am often asked how long does it take to paint a rock? And my answer always begs to question .. where does the process begin and where does it end? It's so easy to jump from one ponderable topic to the next.What time is involved in creating anything? I suppose it could be said that I am painting a rock right now! You may think I am speaking metaphorically, but I am not.

The short answer. Is ...”Not long"

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

Create from Nothing

    This is a surreal short video I made about ten years ago. It is a collage with many strange selfies and many special effects. Admittedly, the Ken Burns™ effect modified much of the content of this production. It can also be considered a creepy montage, just in time for Halloween.

     Credits for the music and sound effects go to IMovie™ and the Andrew Sister's rendition of "Rum and Coca Cola" ... which has absolutely nothing to do with the content of this mashup. Images of people featured in the still photographs are former employees of the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone Campus Store and personal friends.

    Included are stills of celebrites like Keith Richards, Johnny Cash and an actor potraying Edward R. Murrow. Also featured are an image of the world's ugliest dog, a live human oscar statue,  models portraying live portraiture from an annual Mustard Festival, and photos of the Empire gold mine with shots taken around that property. All of this imagery contributes to the idea that we will create from nothing, and that logic is often suspended in the realm of the imaginary.

 

This too shall pass...

 What a week it's been. First of all, my car is in the shop  ( don't ask ) I also had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my nose (they got it all , thank God) and I am now religiously putting sun screen on before leaving my home to ride my bike...which are my wheels for now. For these and other reasons, my presence has not been felt at the Farmer's Markets for the past two weeks. The good news is that I am getting a lot of other things done during the day.

Basically, all I talk about on this blog is my rock creations and sales. Perhaps I should take the business all online, but then I wouldn't have the enjoyment I experience when attending my favorite markets on the weekends. Besides, too much time is already spent on the computer.

I painted a lot of rocks during this sabbatical and have come up with some real nice ones. Check out the ones below. They all qualify as the "Rocks of the Week" because I can't decide on just one. Enjoy!