The Library Show

The St. Helena Library hosted a show of posters that I've been working on for the past year or two. About half of them are black light reactive, meaning that they take on a whole different look under blacklight. Some even have a 3D quality, especially when viewed with special Chromadepth™ glasses. Many of the posters have glow-in-the-dark paint as well as black light reactive paint, painted on top of the posters themselves. These posters were showcased on the night of the opening in a separate room which was completely dark except for the large blacklights which brought out the rich colors. Describing them here does not do them justice. All in all, the opening went well, and I was very much appreciative of the guests and friends that took the time to visit. Below are some of the images that were featured in the show which will end this coming Friday.

Invisibilia

Hello Everyone,

This past month has been a busy one for me, and my negligence to the updating of this blog is inexcusable. First of all, I would like to thank those people who have purchased their Spirit Rocks at both the Calistoga and Sebastopol Farmer's Markets. Your generous support is very much appreciated. Lately, I've spent the month preparing for a Poster show of rocks I've painted, scanned and have used them as components in assemblages you can see at the St. Helena Public Library through the end of this month. Some of the actual rocks I've used in these posters are showcased in one of the display cases in the library. Please offer me any feedback, for your suggestions allow me to consider ideas for future projects.

Not long ago, I began using invisible ink to hide imagery that I felt would make my work all the more intriguing. The rock you see below features a mandala both on the front and the back. A blacklight is needed to have the mandala on the backside of the rock revealed. The red stand is one of the first plexiglaas™ heart-shaped holders used to showcase rocks in a more prominent manner.

This Week's Rock of the Week

Today, the rocks are now Thermogenic! Yes, They change colors when they go from cold to warm, like the old mood rings.It is exciting to include this new feature for the summer season. The color that was applied is a dark blue which turns to a sort of Robin's egg color when warm and ultimately clear when completely warm. It is a challenge to include as many features on one rock as possible. Phosphorescent paint, Florescent paint, UV reactive sparkle, Holograms, Invisible mandalas and now thermogenic paint. The possibilities are endless, and the fun of creating new designs are continually inspiring... Oh, by the way...Happy Mother's Day everyone!

This Week's Rock of the Week

Okay, I admit that sometimes I miss a week or two, but I am generally very consistent with keeping this site updated. So this week's rock is a Mexican Pebble type of Rock that was purchased from a quarry, or should I say a landscaper...whatever. The hummingbird motif is one of my favorites. I use an interference acrylic paint to get a nice sheen on the wings. The clear coat also gives it a brilliant shine. The lines you see around the bird itself are done with invisible ink pens. When the rock is done, the last step is to apply these lines. Come by and visit me at the Farmer' Market.The hummingbird rock will be featured, along with an assortment of new designs.

This Week's Rock of the Week

The Rock below is sort of an experiment.These highly Fluorescent Paints from Glominex™look great under a blacklight. When purchased online, I specified that they be the invisible glowing paint that continues to glow after the lights are out.I quickly learned the difference between Phosphorescent and Fluorescent because the wrong tubes were sent.The paints were not sent back though.In fact, they prompted me to explore other companies that produce these bright colors.However, it is preferable that the rock be embellished with many other components to achieve the quality required.

Purple Days

The Farmer's Market in Sebastopol always proves to be an adventure of one sort or another.It was expected to rain, but thankfully, that did not happen until later on in the day.Right around closing time in fact. The morning was delightful as many people began to arrive as the sun was shining.Even the balloon guy who makes little twisty animals for the kids was there. Normally, we have some very accomplished musicians playing under the gazebo there.Today was no exception except it was only one fellow playing his acoustic guitar. He was quite good and deserved all the attention he was getting.

Many people stopped by to view my gift rocks and observed them under the black light viewer.After awhile a very attractive woman appeared to have a look at the display, and mentioned that she was fond of the color purple and inquired if I had any purple rocks to show her.I did!

The rocks you see below (as well as the night-light shell) is what she ended up purchasing.As we talked it was discovered that she had an accent.Naturally, I tried to turn on the charm by guessing that she was an Aussie.It turned out that she was originally from Wellington, New Zealand and she was with her husband, who FORTUNATLEY was sitting over on a bench nearby... which was a relief.His name was Steven and turned out to be quite the card.I think he was a little used to having people be blown away by the beauty of his attractive wife.

When I introduced myself to "both" of them, he jokingly said that of course, I must mean his wife and her dog.I came back with," I didn't mean to insinuate that you were chopped liver, and someone to be excluded." Thankfully he laughed and we all had a good chuckle.They turned out to be the sweetest couple I have met in a long time.We talked for awhile, and it was learned that he used to work for NASA and she was a former Real Estate agent in New Zealand.The committee inside my head was chattering so loud, I could hardly keep up with the conversation we were having.We talked of the local culture, spirituality and a few other topics I couldn't remember, even if I tried.But after all,It proved to be a blessing to have met their acquaintance.

This Week's Rock of the Week

This Week's Rock of the Week is a stone that is so smooth and trasnsparent that it really has an etheral quality unlike any other stone I've painted on previously. The Crackle finish adds to the character of the rock along with the gold buff which brings out an antique quality.This stone is one I am holding on to as a special gift for a wedding couple I know.

This Week's Rock of the Week

Here is an all-night glowing rock which when hit with a blacklight strobe, will have an interesting animation effect.It never ceases to amaze how a simple object can take on so many different views, just through innate or natural lighting effects. The rock is rather large, uses a lot of paint, both reactive and non-reactive and keeps me company along side my bed at night.

This Week's Rock of the Week

This week's rock features an antelope in motion. The figure itself was drawn on the rock first, then filled in with gold paint.The rock itself was painted black and coated with a crackle finish. The crackle was filled and buffed with gold paint to fill in the cracks to give it an antique look.Lastly, the edges were finished with an indigo blue. The rock type is Mexican Pebble, which is a very smooth stone.It sometimes will take two coats of paint to cover the brush strokes and exposed sides. When dry, the rock is again clear coated with spray Krylon.Although this is not a glow in the dark rock, it still showcases my own ability to do detail.