This Week's Rock

This is the first Chameleon rock which has been created for my grandniece, Tatiana. Initially, I drew a picture from an image that was found on the internet.Then It was scanned and brought it into Photoshop™:

The next step was to clean it up and colorized it . Then after it was complete, it was then sized down and printed it out on sticky-back, glossy paper. I adhered it to a flat rock that was decorated with fabric paint. Today, i enjoy all the steps involved in bringing a rock like this into existence. I also trust that this blog isn't read by my grandniece before Christmas you see. this is a surprise because we both know that she loves chameleons.

The Rock of the Week

This week's rock features a shiny black mexican pebble coated with a triple thick coating of acrylic gloss. This not only preserves the elements painted and adhered to the rock, but it protects the rock from moisture, paint scuffs and fading. Although the rocks are NOT indestructible, every precaution is taken to protect these rocks from being abused. The rocks usually come in a protective bag, but when they are on display they should be in a dry place where they will be left unhindered. Black was chosen for this rock because it offers good contrast with whatever is painted on top of it. I like gold on black alone with the blue spikes and the red dots because of the presence it offers. The pink heart in the middle not only sparkles but will naturally glow in the dark after being placed under a regular incandescent light bulb for a minute. It should also be noted that a small mirror has been placed behind the glowing pink heart to  add another dimension to this piece

The Rock of the week

This is a sort of late Halloween rock if you will. It is called the Raven rock, and shows a little raven in a beautiful turquoise background with blue dots and green points focusing to the middle object. This stone is a Mexican Pebble which is a very smooth stone. These rocks leave the stone with a nice sheen, and even nicer overall look when coated with an Acrylic finish.
Many of the rocks I do will at times feature Holiday themes like this one. It reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe's poem called "The Raven" which is one of his most popular.

Rock of the Week

This weeks rock is symbolizes the joy of Fall and the warm halcyon days of an Indian Summer. The spiral motif in the center represents that the shorter days and cooler evenings as we enter our yearly autumnal cycle. The pink, blue and green lattice work around the metallic sun are the colors one usually will see as the sun is setting out in the Pacific.

A New Discovery

  I am certain that I was not the first to discover this, and I hope not to be the last. Last week I was lucky enough to find some extra sheets of glow-in-the-dark vinyl at an art supply shop where I shop for materials in Santa Rosa. The product name is "Funky Film" by Grafix™, and they make all sorts of refractive light material that has a lot of BLING if you will.

 Well they used to produce this glow film but no longer have it in their catalog. To make a long story short, I bought some of the last sheets available. You can still find some online if you do a deep search and are willing to pay for a roll of the stuff ( upwards towards 300. for a minimum order! ) I took one of the sheets and went into a dark room with my black light keychain. After just playing with it for awhile, I began to discover what fun this can be!

 If you watch the video until the end, you will see how easy it is to make silouettes by placing your hand over the film itself and then shining the light on top of it.

Loyal Rock Fans

It must be known by now, that when people ask me what I do for a living I answer by telling them that I am a "Rock Artist". It gives me great joy to see the expression on their faces as they wonder which group I play with; Or if I am featured in Itunes. Not a chance.

When I tell them that I paint rocks, they begin to chuckle. Not too long ago ( about four years, to be exact ) I would tell people that I work at the C.I.A. and that admission would sometimes send a shiver up their spine, but I quickly reassured them that I was at the main desk when you entered the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA

That was then, and this is now. Thankfully, I have seen and met just as many great people who come to visit the Napa Valley from all parts of the globe.

Your Spirit Rocks!™is a token (or souvenir if you will) that hopefully will remind them of the enthusiasm and joy that can be had in this wonderfully idlyllic place. Naturally, like the rocks shown below... the spirit of their visit will continue to glow

 

Blistering Hot Show

Literally. Yesterday started out on a very pleasant note. I met some wonderful folks from many different parts of the country who came to the Calistoga Art Center Show to see a variety of local art displayed. After setting up the vendors spaces with their own tables, chairs and display boards, I found my usual spot underneath a tree close to the community center to be ideal... at least from 9am to around 11am. After that, all bets were off.

The temperature quickly rose above the ninety degree mark and did not let up. Smearing myself with plenty of sunblock and drinking lots of water, I somehow made it through the day, but it was not very pleasant.

Sales were decent though, and I am grateful to all those that found their rock to take home with them. The other artists who displayed their work were all  pretty cheerful and upbeat as far as I could tell. All in all it turned out to be a good day.

A woman named Barbara came by with her husband Bill who was a former California Highway Patrolman. They were very nice people who were out exploring the neighborhood and took the time to talk. He ended up purchasing a rock for his wife with the word "Faith" painted on it. She seemed to me to be a living example of it.

Thanks you all for making this late summer day a special one.

"Your Spirit Rocks!"

Summer's End

It has been a very enjoyable summer, but like most summers the time flies and we find ourselves reminiscing about those halcyon days long after the weather turns cold and gray.The weather is still nice here and an Indian summer is likely this year. Bothe Park has been a fun getaway for me. Especially the public pool they have there.The park provides a nice lawn to put a towel down and plenty of those adirondack chairs to sit on by the pool. They also have an assortment of inflatable items, swim masks, goggles, super soakers, hula-hoops and other items to enjoy you time spent there. The life guards are very friendly and vigilant. They will answer questions politely and greet you when you enter. Five dollars for adults is a very reasonable fee to charge. You can see by the photo below that even old geezers can have fun if they aren't afraid to look a little silly as they harken back to their younger days

Creative Impulses

It's not every day that I feel like painting and decorating these gift rocks.I do though, because it feeds a creative impulse that keeps me enthused about what I do.Yesterday I reviewed my best work and have posted all of those rock creations in former blogs,if you wish to go back a few years and have a look.This blog started in 2010, so I've been practicing this form of art for over four years now (check my archives on the column to the right and scroll down toward the bottom of the page).

The beach rocks I use are basically Sandstone,and the other rocks I use are called Mexican Pebbles which are very smooth and leave a nice finish.This week's rock is a nice round Sandstone I call a "Spinner Rock" because when I flip it upside down and give it a twirl,it spins for a while on a blue bobble which was adhered to the top of the rock.I don't usually paint my rocks yellow unless I want to have it serve another purpose.In this case, it can be used as a top or just as a beacon to direct oneself to the restroom in the middle of the night!Always make sure the rocks have been "Charged"( i.e. held under a regular lamp for about a minute) before you turn out the light on your nightstand.