…As the season approaches

Coming this May, I will be featuring a booth at the Calistoga Farmer’s Market from 8am to 12 noon on Saturdays from May to the last week in October. This is a fun event that brings lots of people together throughout the summer months. The Spirit Rocks will be on display in prices ranging from five, up to thirty dollars. Come by and see all the new creations and enjoy the live music that will be heard during the market.

This one is for you

Everyday I find a new and different way of embellishing these ocean rocks. If it isn't with a new color of paint, it could be from a dot of glitter that looks good adhered to these rocks.Unless someone wants a particular design or motif, I generally work with color, and many of the Spirit Rocks I produce look similar only because I have a formula that I have developed which works. If pushed, I can come up with a fairly attractive rock in about a half an hour. I will usually prepare four or five rocks at a time. Then, as one is drying I will begin on another rock and go back to the first one. It is almost like a production line from the beginning to the end of the day. I love sitting down, putting on some good music and a pot of coffee, and then just paint.

Exploring Photoshop Filters

I took a group of rocks that I had painted and scanned them. After saving them, I brought the image into Photoshop and applied the twirl distortion filter to it. It ended up revealing a rather compelling picture that resembles a coil of some sort. After achieving this effect, I took a picture of a rock that I had painted of an eye and placed it at the center of the coil. These are only some of the enjoyable processes that I have applied to these wonderful art objects.

Like Night and Day

I have discovered a preference for rocks that have a surface which allows a brush to pass over them with ease. The paint can have a sensuous, thick feel to it.Most acrylic is viscous and smooth when applied. Adding water to thin the layer is an almost natural way to achieve a transparency . This appears as colors blend and show through, as one layer dries. Applying the clear gloss coat punches up the surface to a high sheen. The rocks are stunning in the light. Flourishes like stars and glitter have to be used sparingly, or else the final result can look garish.

When the luminous paint is added, it is like working in another dimension. Negative space becomes important, as the contrast between light and dark becomes more apparent. Paintings displayed under a constant light can generate a specific response that is not always contingent upon subject matter. A trained eye takes into account the many variables of light, color, hue, subject matter, and brush stroke. The importance of a proper backdrop cannot be underestimated, either.

Many will see these rocks as decorative and pretty, but that is only one’s first blush. When the rocks are scanned and modified in Photoshop, they take on a presence and power all their own. They can look like a Native American motif, or perhaps a Buddhist mandala depending on the way the rock is painted. I find that my own ability has been on the increase since I began this quest over a year and a half ago.

Foundation Stone Meditation

Soul of man!
You live in the limbs
That carry you through the world of space
Into the sea of spirit-being:
Practice spirit remembrance
In the depths of soul,
Where in the reigning
Cosmic creator-being
Your own I
In God's I
Is begotten;
And you will truly live
In the cosmic human being.

For the Father Spirit of the heights reigns
Creating being in the cosmic depths:
Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones
Let resound from the heights
What in the depths its echo finds;
This speaks:
Ex deo nascimur.
The elemental spirits
In East, West, North, South hear this:
May men hear it too.

Soul of man!
You live in the heart-lung-beat
That guides you through the rhythm of times
To the sensing of your own soul's being:
Practice spirit contemplation
In equanimity of soul,
Where the surging
Cosmic creative deeds
Unite
Your own I
To the cosmic I;
And you will truly feel
In deeds of the human soul.

For the will of Christ reigns in the earthly sphere
Granting grace to souls in cosmic rhythms:
Kyriotetes, Dynamis, Exusiai
Let from the east inflame
What through the west takes form;
This speaks:
In Christo morimur.
The elemental spirits
In East, West, North, South hear this:
May men hear it too.

Soul of man!
You live in the reposing head
Which opens cosmic thoughts
from eternal founts to you:
Practice spirit-seeing
In peace of mind,
Where the eternal goals of the gods
Confer
The cosmic being's light
On your own I
For its free will;
And you will truly think
From founts of human spirit.

For the cosmic thoughts of spirit,
light imploring, reign in cosmic being;
Archai, Archangeloi, Angeloi
Let from the depths demand
What will be heard in the heights;
This speaks:
Per spiritum sanctum reviviscimus.
The elemental spirits
In the East, West, North, South hear this:
May men hear it too.

At the turning point of time
The cosmic spirit-light stepped
Into earthly evolution;
Night darkness
Had ended its reign;
The bright light of day
Streamed into human souls;
Light
That warms
The poor shepherd hearts
Light
That enlightens
The wise kings' heads.

Light divine,
Sun of Christ,
Warm
Our hearts,
Enlighten
our heads,

So that good will be
What we
From our hearts beget,
What we
Through our heads
Will to achieve.

( By Rudolf Stiener 1924 -Translation: Frank Thomas Smith )

Blessings

A friend of mine named Fred had purchased one of the posters I had on exhibit at the library. He not only purchased it, but had it framed beautifully. I was so impressed by the quality of the frame that I have vowed to have other images done exactly this way. The show went as well as I could expect and I have learned a lot. I am inspired by what others have shown me by their appreciation of this work. The biggest thing I have learned is to trust the process and to be willing to let go. This is not an easy thing for me. Things don’t always work out the way I think they should, but now I am more committed to my work, and the more inspired I’ve become. Although I sold only two pieces, I have learned to keep it simple and just scan the rocks and enlarge them. The pieces I sold were of the same Rock I call “The Sea Egg". It is the one shown here, and everyone liked this one the best. If you would like a signed 18 “ X 24” print for yourself, leave me a comment and I will be in touch with you. The prices have been lowered since the end of the show.

I get my best ideas from you!

Yesterday, I spoke with someone who knew about the Chakra system of energy vortexes within the human body. There are seven chakras which correspond to a person’s spiritual energy which travels upward like a double helix from the base of your spine up through the top of your head. Each one of these centers corresponds to a specific color and tone. Although integrated, each has a specific purpose that prepares us along life’s journey.

The colors of these energy centers are what interested me when talking to him about the Spirit Rocks. He suggested that I could put together a kit of seven different colored rocks that when placed on a person lying in a prone position, would assist in aligning their chakras. I thought this was a compelling idea and assured him that I would begin looking into it.

The practice of Yoga and certain body therapies (i.e. massage work), can compliment and facilitate a process of rejuvenation which aids in a person’s spiritual growth. These colored rocks could be made available to Massage practitioners who do specific types of energy work.

Ladies and Gentlemen… “The Glowing Stones !”

My friend Veda suggested this name, and I really like it. It sounds so much like the Rolling Stones, that I think it may even be a stronger moniker than my flagship product. I would really like to find someone who lives close by to help me build my business. Right now it is the middle of tax season and this will be the first year that I will be claiming my new business. The expenses will hopefully balance out the meager revenue I have generated , I plan to sort out and itemize my expenditure receipts and keep a log of how much it is costing me to keep this thing going. It is just too easy to buy something retail that you can just as easily purchase wholesale. Inventory is key here as well, because without taking stock I could go broke in very short order. Does all of this chatter sound like I know what I am talking about? Well I don’t. I am flying by the seat of my pants here. By the way, the rock above is of a picture of a Violet that I found, which is one of my favorite flowers. It looks great in the dark as well.

The St.Helena Library Show

It is already Ground Hog day, and the day after my opening at the St. Helena Library. Everything went very well, as I sold a rock and two of the fifteen posters I had showing! This is great ! I had friends help me set up and serve sparkling cider and pelligrino water. Their were plenty of snacks and over forty people showed up for this one, including my friends Don, Muir, Dieter, Jim, Fred, Eleanor, Janice, Marvin, David, Caroline, Veronica, Mark, Carol, Robyn, Rebbecca, Steve, Donna and Vicky.Marnie my former co-worker from the CIA was there. She even created a splash by winning the Spirit Rock Raffle along with my friend Don. All in all, I could not have been more pleased. The show will be up throughout the month of February, and I hope it generates some more leads for my business. Stop by the Library in St. Helena when you find the time.