This Week's Rock of the Week

Decoupage is a technique I've been using from time to time. The image of the rose was a drawing/watercolor painting I did last month. The rose was scanned and brought into Photoshop where the color was enhanced and the image was resized to fit on a rock. Then the image was printed out on high-gloss,sticky-back paper. The rendered sticker was then adhered to the rock with E6000 glue and left to dry. The final step after adding embellishments was to clear-coat the entire rock with a coating of Triple Thick. This coating provides UV protection from the sun while keeping the color from fading. It also makes the rock look very shiny.

The Rock of the Week

This week's Rock is a continuation of a popular Mandala motif. As a sporadic meditator, holding a "Spirit Rock" can be useful in bringing about a sense of focus and stillness. The weight, shape, and texture of any rock are valuable features for this purpose. Sometimes, covering the rock with a scented oil may add to an awakening of the senses.

Last week, I went and purchased an aluminum ladder so that I can climb up on my roof to meditate after nightfall. The evenings have been pleasant and not too warm or cool this time of the year. Having a place and time to further this practice is important to me now. My hope is that others will find a way to creatively enhance what they know will bring about peace, joy, and serenity.

Surrounding myself with beauty and appreciation is one of the ways that I hope to achieve this. Anyone can attain these objectives if they follow the calling of their higher purpose. The determination of having a solid work ethic are not always necessary tools when maintaining the quality of beauty in your environment.

This Week's Rock of the Week

It's rare finding a rock that conforms to one's idea of the ideal heart-shaped rock to be painted. If there has been any rock more worthy of an adornment of glitter and paint, it would be the rock seen below. It was found washed ashore at Russian Gulch, where most of Your Spirit Rocks™ are collected. The symbol of the heart is unmistakable in most cultures throughout the world today. It can be seen almost anywhere.

I don't know if it was the graphic artist Milton Glasser that came up with the "I ♥︎ NY" logo, but this became as popular as the smiley face 😀 popularized sometime in the 70's, and in movies like Forrest Gump. The heart symbolizes the best humanity has to offer each other. This is a symbol of altruism, empathy and goodwill. Hearts also denote a feeling a yearning and devotion for that which is loved. Unlike having a 'Heart of stone" which is the title of a song by the Rolling Stones. The heart of stone shown here is a gift, not a condition of forbearance.

The Hearts of stone which I paint are keepsakes for those who treasure the love they have and want to keep in their life. These can be gifted and regifted. Passed on from one generation to the next.

It also has to be said that the rock or its shape doesn't have to mean anything at all.

The Rock of the Week

This week's rock is called, "Solar flares" named for the intense summer heat we've been having here in Northern California. The idea that global warming is a myth dreamed up by scientists is preposterous. Global warming is real and our planet needs to wake up to that fact. Greenhouse gas notwithstanding, something has to be done to protect life as we know it.

This rock features a high-grade phosphorescent paint with a hologram in the middle. Gel pens were used to make the dot patterns around the sun

The Rock of the Week

Below shows a "Sea Urchin" Rock (with a hologram heart) under a UV black light. It is just so much fun creating these items that bring such joy to those who purchase them. Black lights were not included in the gift bag up until recently, because they were hard to come by and expensive. Ace™ Hardware carried a flashlight model that was used to demonstrate what the rocks would look like, but unfortunately, I had to recommend that customers purchase them on their own.

It is my intent to produce rocks that are "Illuminated", which fall in line with my description of each rock. The rock below is a good example of what can expect to see when the lights are dimmed in the room and the UV light is focused on the rock itself.

When it is said that, "Your rock will choose you if you are meant to have one" it is entirely plausible.The ongoing challenge is to assure that everyone gets a one-of-a-kind item they can relish for years to come.

Staying Current

You probably don't like blogs that start with apologies so you will not hear one from me. Laziness, just plain and simple is the reason you haven't seen any posts for the past couple of weeks. The rocks have been flying off the table at the Farmer's Market like hot cakes (bad analogy... more like "hot rocks" if you consider the temperatures we've been having as of late.) and moving them fast has been my main focus. The overall inventory is not up to par, and even though beach trips have rendered a whole new batch of rocks, they won't all be painted until probably the end of August.

You would be surprised at how fast seventy rocks of assorted sizes are ready for display. This, of course, means, that I will not be leaving my apartment any time soon. All week long, the time spent on painting these precious items is measured only by my attitude... which is generally good except when I mess up upon occasion. An expletive is yelled out and the wet paint is wiped up off my desk. You get the picture. I sold some of my best work these past two Saturdays, and as I was telling a friend recently... " It's like giving up your children to adoptive parents". That may sound extreme, but the truth is that I do get attached to the ones that look great. Thus, below is one that fits nicely into that category.

Enjoy this week's Rock of the Week!

The Rock of the Week

Greetings! We are back to painting Mandala Rocks with extra vibrancy and enthusiasm. Many have used these rocks for meditation purposes which we wholeheartedly endorse. Meditation is not a practice that many want to claim unless they have made it more or less a daily practice. Admittedly, as an infrequent yet spontaneous meditator, we are still not alone on this journey. When taking the time to actually sit quietly, without distraction is challenging for anyone in today's culture.

Having a rock in your lap will bring you to focus and concentrate. It is an object outside the physical body, yet can belong within the spiritual realm as an entity unto itself. Rocks have weight, texture, size, symmetry and even malleability. Pondering how they came about over millions of years is incredible! Where they end up in time can be just as intriguing a thought to entertain.

We hope that your Spirit Rock will accompany you in good stead along life's journey whether you meditate with it or not.It is hoped that a rock will bring you joy.

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.