Legends and Lore

A cool little gift shop is re-opening in Downtown Napa! Artists David and Laura Wallis have transformed the Legends and Lore gift shop into a quaint,specialized gift shop featuring everything from Dreamcatchers,T-shirts,Jewelry,Hanging art pieces, Sculpture, Hand-painted gift rocks,and a whole assortment of fascinating items that harken from "Days of Olde" to the present.If you are in the market for a unique gift then come and check this place out.An artist reception for the art displayed there will be held on Saturday, September 21st, from 6 to 8PM. All are welcome.Just go to the Napa Town Center on First street behind Sushi Mambo.Do it!

Rock of the Week

This week I am showing the same rock under two different types of light.These rocks are sitting on top of my bedspread which is a white down comforter. I really like the way it creates a background that breaks up the morning light in very interesting ways. It sort of reminds me of a view from an airplane or seeing auras in some separate reality.

2013 Summer Season

I am certain that what is contained in this little slide show is not all of the rocks I painted this summer, but this is a good representation of what I consider to be my best. ENJOY!

TAKE ME THERE!

Rock of the Week

Hello There! This is the rock of the week because it has been such a daunting task painting all those dots on this large rock. It is called the Urchin rock for obvious reasons and it has become part of my collectors edition. Not that many of the rocks I painted at this size have been sold. They usually go for one hundred dollars, and I begin to do more of them as the Holidays approach. Right now is the busiest time of the year for me, and I will skip the Glen Ellen market this Sunday just so that I am able to replenish my inventory. If you have purchased a rock from me lately, I want to thank you and say that you have made this summer very special for me. I hope to see you at the Farmer's Market in Calistoga again soon.Be well, and don't forget to sign the guest book on the right.

Alex's Rock ( The Rock of the Week )

This is a picture of Alex, who is my friend Donna's niece who was given a rock at her graduation. I love this picture and decided that it would be a good one to post for the Rock of the week. Yes, she loves her gift and for a modest fee I will personalize any rock if there is space on the rock to do this ( i.e. Perhaps on the backside,which I generally leave blank ).

After the Chef's Market ends this week, I will be creating some fresh designs with my time on Thursdays.

Animation using Animoto

TAKE ME THERE!

All wrapped up !

These rocks were some of the early creations that were a result of my trips to the ocean. My friend Veda has thought to enhance the rocks by wrapping them in colored wire that she bought at a craft shop in Guerneville. One can take these to the next level by exploring other ways to embellish or showcase them.

Last year, I decided to scan several rocks and make poster size images out of them. These were eventually shown at a one-man show at the local library in St. Helena, CA.I had no idea how regal the rocks looked after scanning them and noticing all the great detail the digital format provides.

Photographing them, and placing them in previous drawn pictures via Photoshop produced some interesting compositions like the one below, which was made into a gift card. Creativity is only limited by your imagination and the tools you have available.

A Little Animation

My friend Veda created this little animation featuring "Your Spirit Rocks!". It may only last around 30 seconds but it looks very professional ( which it is ) and showcases the rock creations beautifully.

Click on the link just above the picture of the Rock below.

If you have your own rock, I would take the time to see what it looks like under different lighting conditions and environments. It seems that these rocks have personalities all their own.

UNLOCK YOUR SPIRIT

Anticipating a Fabulous Fourth

It is only Monday, but today the heat wave that has been around the entire weekend continues.I finally turned on my air conditioner,as the fans were only blowing around hot air at this point.Saturday was a good market in spite of the heat. I met some nice folks from other parts of the country who were visiting Calistoga for the first time.I had a few new rocks to showcase, but not a lot.I will have to start refreshing my inventory if I am going to have something for my regular customers to add to their collections.

Thursday is the Fourth, and the Fair is well underway. I suspect we will have the Sprint cars and explosions keeping all the neighborhood dogs hiding under their masters' bed by night fall.I do have some concern for those animals that have no idea what is going on,but FEEL everything.Something to think about.

The picture below is of a rock I plan on making. I saw this design on someone's t-shirt and thought it looked quite "fetching" if you will excuse the pun. Have a great Independence Day everyone !