An Inside Job

      If you were to ask me what is the most charged word in the English language, I would have to say self. It's been said that if we can find joy in another's joy, and that is the secret to happiness. The opposite can also be true. To seek joy in what we perceive to be our selves may hold the answer to some of life's most puzzling questions. What is this thing called joy, and is it a thing?

 Acceptance has been the key to having things be other than the way they seem to be, but it has to start with accepting things exactly the way that they are, and the way they are not. Otherwise, we will only sabotage attempts at getting to acceptance, and eventual growth.

Perhaps we are already in the state of ecstasy, and we suppress it to a level with which we are comfortable. Hmmmm...

Having outside appearances can fool ourselves and others, whether they be physical or psychological. Staying curious about these appearances will reveal more about our own perception.

    Begin by telling your self the truth about feelings (i.e. choose to experience the experience) Don't fool your self into thinking you don't have a choice in this regard. You do, even if you have convinced your self that you don't. 

Seeking will run you in circles until you find surcease, or until you find someone who shares your journey.

Ultimately, all things will pass, and you will probably grow more mature from having had an experienced experience . This "ah-ha" realisation has assisted me in finding stability and security where I would otherwise be trying to seek these states of being outside of my self. All the more reason to go within.

It is true that others will mirror back to us what we mostly don't like in ourselves, as well as what we do.

The truth contains it's opposite ( is this always a balancing act? )

Below is this week's "Rock of the Week" . It is a tribute to the Wolf Moon which is a super moon occurring during the first week of the new year.

More Rock Stars!

 It was a lot of fun getting together to paint rocks last Friday.Claire Elise Barton provided the ideal space for this holiday event. The workshop lasted for around two hours but a lot of information was packed in, along with a list of supplies that many of the artists found useful. Tea, candy and cookies were provided to sweeten the experience. Those that arrived were very much enthusiastic about getting started and were quick to jump into the process.

We began by painting the rocks with a base coat of black or white. Holding the rocks by the sides was tricky when trying to figure out a way to cover the whole rock without leaving fingerprints that had to be painted over when the first coat dried. Needless to say, this was a learning process.

The next stage, was applying the various colors and designs using a high quality metallic acrylic that really made these stones glisten. The next stage was the puff paint which came in the two varieties... flourescent  and phosphorescent . Do you know the difference? ( There will be a test later )

Lastly after extensive drying using heat guns, it was suggested that we use a selection of clear coat varnishes to complete the project. This step would be applied the next day when the stones would be bone dry ( hopefully). In any event, everyone carefully took their rocks home with them in the hopes of having a nice keepsake to pass on or have for themselves.

Merry Christmas to Alex, Chloe, Marrs, Kathy, Claire and the Starrs Art Collective for a joyous evening.

Oh my!

 Uh, you mean people are actually reading this? Yikes! Suddenly, I feel that I'm like Oprah giving out new cars on her talk show. 

    I'd like say this, but at this point I can't. The rent is due, and the rocks have to be sold. Truth be told, I love painting rocks, but after fifteen years, maybe I should be teaching others how to paint their own, and how to enjoy this process.

    So. guess what!? I have two classes coming up. One on the 12 of this month at Starr's collective in St. Helena (see the flyer below) and Rock painting 2.0 at the Calistoga Art Center come January. If your are interested in taking the first class you can still sign up. Just tap this link to register...

Starr's Art Collective

It will be fun, and all the materials will be supplied and it's only two hours.

So without any further ado... here is this week's 

"Rock of the Week!"