Bringing back the best

 This is my thirteenth year of painting and selling rocks. I have not even held a job that long during my entire work life. Like many members of my family, I treasure independence and freedom.I also like being my own boss.

 Having worked in hospitality most all of my adult life, I really like people. The Farmer's Market is my classroom.Getting to know the regulars and tourists are always enlightening, and can be educational. There are many artists out there too, and it doesn't take much to convince me that EVERYONE employs some type of creative activity, be it cooking, gardening or even washing and waxing a car.

 After having attained a degree in Art, it was time for me to do something that validated my own creative pursuit. Commercial art never really fueled this passion, although i am now familiar with how to use the computer as a tool for composition and output.

 Rocks however, were about discovering a small canvas, and having the liberty to come up with fun designs... a venue that became the medium of choice. Over the years, I have found that some imagery people will find more appealing than others. It also occurs to me that some colors and backgrounds have a special appeal all their own.

 Lately, I've been painting seashells as night-lights, specialty rocks that include waves, dolphins, birds,cats, meditation stones for focusing,mandala rocks, keychains, magnets and (as an occasional departure from the usual) decorative wind chimes and mobiles.In many ways, craftspeople live lives akin to a monk's existence. Pursuing beauty is certainly a meditative activity and there are many who explore different mediums in their search for an authentic creative expression.I devote this blog to those people who are making the time to do this very thing.Below is this week's "Rock of the Week".

April, comes she will

 Spring has sprung, and the weather is still cold and wet. However, this past weekend was a blast. Sunny warm and beautiful. The Easter bunny hid eggs (not painted rocks, mind you) all around the town square in Sebastopol. Sales were good that day, the group onstage played Hawaiian music that kept all the visitors in a mellow mood. Kids ran around with their baskets collecting a bounty of eggs that were hid everywhere. Unfortunately, a few little kids missed out when the bigger kids made a clean sweep of them all. 

A few egg-shaped painted rocks were kept around in the hopes that a parent would come by and get one of these for their youngster. I have this spinning "roulette" rock  ( kind of like a dradle ) that gets spun around with an indicator painted on it, that if it ends up pointing directly at an orange dot, that lucky person wins the Easter egg rock.

A nice lady gave it a spin and won, and was so pleased that she ended up purchasing another rock for someone else. 

On another note, it is said that another eclipse will be happening this coming Monday. I've learned that we won't be able to observe a suitable view of it here in Northern California, but the people in Texas will get the full show. More to be revealled.

This week has been busy, because for every rock that was sold last week, a new one will take it's place. So, back to work! 

Below is this week's Rock of the week... naturally, it's an Easter egg rock that will not rot or hatch.