Shell Horizon

This poster was created using many scanned objects and images brought into Adobe Photoshop™ for modification, arrangement on layers, color-correction, resizing, etc. The overall composition is meant to show natural elements (scallop shells,grape leaves,dragonflies, butterflies) in a visually pleasing setting.When the poster is printed, it will be adorned with glitter, phosphorescent and fluorescent paint for ultimately a 3D effect using Chromadepth™ glasses.Click on the picture itself for a larger view.

This Week's Rock of the Week

Well wouldn't you know that tomorrow is Halloween and I haven't hid this pumpkin rock yet. I plan to hide it somewhere near the Golden Haven Spa, which is next door to my place (By the way,if you live in Calistoga you already know where that is).That is the only clue I am giving.If you find it or any other rocks I hide, they are yours to keep.Here's wishing all you Rock Stars a very Happy and Safe Halloween.

Your Pal,
Christopher

The Rock of the Week

This week's rock is a mash-up using a product that has made the process of decorating a rock a lot easier.Appliques were purchased at the Dollar Store and glued onto a rock.The result was stunning.The detail of the sticker shows beautifully after painting the surface with glow paint.The view under a blacklight gives the rock an otherworldly effect.The rock was taken to a Market last Friday.It was purchased by a woman who later emailed that a corner of the applique had come loose and was wondering how to get it to adhere to the rock again.It was suggested to use E6000, an industrial strength glue that had been used to reinforce the sticker to the rock in the beginning.It was not clear if that process was attempted because a request was made to have the rock returned.Instead, a complete refund has been offered and is pending.It is still questionable whether or not these applique rocks are ready for prime time.

The Full Moon

This week's rock is side two of the rock that was featured last time. It features the full moon reflecting upon an imaginary lake. I painted this as I would a traditional landscape with the dark colors offering enough contrast to make the piece strong. The shape and surface of this rock are amazingly smooth. It was challenging to find a rock like this at the landscaping businesses I go to look for oversize, perfectly round rocks. This rock has gotten me back into painting more figurative work, which hasn't been attempted for quite awhile.Practise makes perfect

More Landscapes

The image below is of some coastal trees that are trying to conform to the shape of the rock. I like the sunsets I am able to paint without having to deplete the beautiful turquoise blue color used above it. It seems to work pretty well, considering how late in the day this was supposed to be.This view is reminiscent of many of the views along the Pacific Coast Highway. Generally, you will find Cyprus trees, Eucalyptus, Madrone and a whole assortment of other trees, including Oaks and Redwoods. The cliffs are steep and the ocean's horizon line is mesmerizing.

Mountain Landscape

This Rock took a lot of time to paint. It is a rather large piece with good symmetry. Initially I painted the road at the bottom of the rock as one that is heading into a forest with pine trees all around. Then came the next layer of trees,fading off in the distance. A pale purple color depicts that aspect.Large,snow-capped mountains are at the top of the rock with a backdrop showing a sunset and star filled sky.This looks cool under a blacklight ( even if their is too much purple in this picture), yet the same image looks kind of so/so in regular light.

The purple color from the black light does not overpower the painting in real life.

Large Rocks for more creative space

It is difficult at times to find the best rock for a particular project. Many large rocks have slight flaws or holes in them that taxes rather than enhances my creative ability.Below are some samples of recent projects that have worked out well, because the rocks have been in good shape in the beginning. Mexican Pebbles are my favorite stones, but they only seem to be hand size before they become a little too misshapen for my purposes.This isn't to say that there may be some perfectly symmetrical ones out there. I am more inclined to stick with Sandstone or Tufa stone to accomplish the desired result

The Hidden Sun

This week's rock is a particularly round one that I painted black and indigo, to showcase the Total Solar Eclipse which was only going to be a partial eclipse where I live in Calistoga.The day began with a large cup of coffee to prepare me for a hike up the Oat Hill Mine Trail.I left home around 8 am and reached a high point above the Napa Valley around 8:45 am dripping with sweat and out of breath.No one else was around as I nestled myself lying flat on my back between two rocks that propped me up on a slight incline facing east. The sky was completely overcast and socked in with a fog that ultimately lasted way past noon.

My friend Eric texted me from Baker City,Oregon where lots of people were waiting in excited anticipation.I waited for something significant, but it just seemed to get a little colder and a slight bit darker.Gradually, I left this spot to head back down the mountain. Before proceeding down I left a little commemoration of the event wedged between the rocks for someone to find before the next Total eclipse occurs in this area.

This Week's Rock of the Week

I have continued to paint rocks using a tried and true method of rendering a more traditional, figurative image... in this case, a wave off the coast of an island at sunset.As an afterthought, I further finessed this rock by painting a small surfer tucked in the curl of the wave.He doesnt appear in this image, however.

This rock has allowed me to experiment with the qualities of both reactive (florescent), and phosphorescent paint. The image takes on a more brilliant appearance under a blacklight,which showcases the sunset as well as the foam cascading over the breaking wave.More of these types of rocks will be showing up as I move away from just the mandala or concentric type of motifs.This is the type of work I used to do in college, which has a much more illustrative style, that I had put on the "Back burner" for awhile.