Having Fun with AR

Although I am not a big fan of acronymns, AR ( augmented reality ) is a technology worth exploring. Especially if you have an iPhone. Their is an App called Metascan™, which when downloaded to one of the newer IPhone models, it will prompt you to take a bunch of pictures all around an object...in this case, a rock. Which upon taking about 50 pics you would then upload all of them and wait as they are processed (It doesn't take long, about five minutes ). What then happens is that it will render a 3D image which can be viewed in a variety of positions. Below is a video which sort of gives you an idea. Click on the link here:

https://vimeo.com/837071747?share=copy

After the object is rendered, it is then possible to place it in any enviroment you wish. In this case, I thought it would be fun to resize it and put it on the potty. The little green yoga skeleton is sitting on a rock cushion that was painted for this very reason.

The skeleton is not one of my pieces, but I thought I would share it with you anyway. :-)

Trust me, I did not have a rock this big sitting on my toilet.

Treasured Beauty

 Many ask me, "Where do you get your Rocks?" I usually respond jokingly,with... "If I told you, I would have to kill you". This is not what they really wanted to hear. However, it is not a question I readily like to answer because the place where I go is probably the most wonderful place you could visit and want to return to, often.

A place that you'd want to keep secret.

Just a hint, it is about four miles north of Jenner, CA. Where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. Many have this out to be their favorite spot for a romatic interlude. Jenner by the Sea, The River's End restaurant, and Kayak rentals are a few of the joys you can enjoy before driving further up the coast to the bottom of a steep ravine.That's all you need to know.

Nothing beats a trip to the Beach, especially on a calm, moderately sunny day when seagulls scavenge for treats as the tide goes out. It's easy to get caught up in the serenity of this place, especially on a weekday when most people are probably busy at work.

Looking and finding an assortment of rocks to paint is fun for me. The criterion employed is to find rocks that are flat, smooth ( no cracks or dimples ), symmetrical and as perfectly round as possible. To think of them as little canvases helps, because you have to envision how they are to be painted.What materials, colors and adornments are you going to use? These are all questions that become apparent during the creative process.

Eventually, these treasured beauties become a reflection of another positive experience to be shared with others. Something to be passed on.

Rinse and Repeat

 Okay. So perhaps you've seen a few of my designs repeated and appearing on the table at the Farmer's Market. Pursuing excellence, and the repitition of visually appealing designs have a way of honing one's skills. Admittedly, the best work and those rocks that have sold well, have kept production time to a minimum. Twenty-five to thirty-five hours a week painting rocks, are far and away enough to foster new ideas in keeping the creative juices flowing.

Here's an example of one such rock...

What can I say? I'm dancing as fast as I can.

For every rock I sell, a new one has to take it's place. I've painted and have sold over a million rocks in the thirteen years since I painted the first rock. (See the framed piece below)

The point made is that repitition is the work worked, or more accurately, " The work performed" . In Latin, this is known as "Ex opere operato". The question begs to ask, " Does ritual and repitition breed excellence or is it merely an obsession?" Is the work done in vain, or does it serve a higher purpose... other than survival by virtue of monetary providence? Finding joy in the activity is providential but not always satisfying. These are questions I ask myself.

Below is this week's Rock of the week...

"Galaxy and the Little Bang"

A Debt of Gratitude

 Thank you. This post is for everyone who has a rock that I've painted, or who I've had the good fortune of meeting at our Farmers Market. Your Spirit truly does Rock, and I will be forever grateful to you!

This has been an intention that was set over thirteen years ago at a beach just north of Jenner, CA. Skipping stones pondering where or what was to be the next chapter in my life had me at an impasse. Only then, after surrendering to my life to a Higher Power, God, the Universe or whatever is the author of our existence left me aiming in a singular direction... self-employment, or more precisely, Creativity. 

Looking a smooth, flat rock seemed to be an ideal surface for  small paintings.Having studied Fine Art in college, it was time to pursue this as a calling.

Granted, it was doubtful that i would be making a living doing this as a profession, but I still had to give it a shot. It seems that the Universe will shift when one makes up their mind to take a leap of faith. What was my next move going to be?

Unemployment would leave little to go on,and I still had a few years before I was able to collect Social Security. Thankfully, painting rocks and a little savings have kept the wolves away from the door. 

Eventually I approached my friend Karen, who guided me in becoming a craft vendor at the local Farmers Market. What can be said? It's been a wonderful adventure that hopefully will continue well into my adolescence ( tee hee... who am i kidding? )

By the way, if you have read this far I would encourage you to see the portfolio video by clicking on the link to the right of this post ->

Below is this week's Rock of the Week

Strength in Vulnerability

The Rock below is another Dazzler insofar as it is sending my artwork in a different direction. Black has always offered a nice contrast to whatever color or figure I place in front. In this case, the feather seemed fitting, as I knew it would be fairly easy to place the image on practically any stone. 

The glow as always, is an added feature. The other thing that filled the whole motif is the starry background. Perhaps I was "Guilding the Lilly" as it may appear, but I did want to add another dimension to the whole motif.

I like the color black because it draws the eye in, and gives it a place to rest. It is also makes a powerful statement. This is also why I find the image of a feather complimentary, because it seems to express the opposite... vulnerability and fragility.

No rest for the Blessed

 Today was practically unbearable, but I still got a lot done. I am all caught up with just about every rock I promised myself that i would paint this week. Upon checking my email, I discovered that all my stored emails had disappeared. 

Is it possible that my email address was upended by someone who has nothing better to do but to mess with other people's accounts ?  ( I don't know really what happened, and it still remains a mystery ).That being said, I was able to get through to tech support which eventually put my mind at ease. The email are still gone.

Then my keyboard started to give me trouble. It refused to make spaces wheneverIhitthespacebar !!! I finally figured out that it was the Safari browser that wasn't letting me compose anything.This too also is a mystery, but I am presently on the Chrome browser and everything is functional, at least for now. Could it be that Mercury in retrograde or something to that effect? No worries. This too shall pass.

I am blessed, because I have a roof over my head, food in my stomach, good friends and family members, and a way of supporting myself. I am truly grateful for everything that has been given me, everything that has been taken from me, and everything that is left me. 

These are affirmations that are used when I am faced with my own powerlessness. My wish is that if i focus on that which i am truly grateful for; it isn't long thereafter that I realize that i am blessed. I wish the same for you who just happeded to read this blog.

Below is the Rock of the Week...

Pursuing Beauty

  As you invite nature into your daily routine, and allow for those moments of peaceful serenity, you begin to experience the way light illuminates all the plants and trees around you. Yet all of this goes beyond description. 

  Yesterday was a profound experience . Taking what is known in Japanese culture as a “Forest Bath” I came away with a fresh and new perspective . 

All of the usual cares and worries of the extreme political and social climate that we are presently facing…drifted into irrelevance. Having a modicum of timelessness left my friend and I speechless.No feathers ruffled here.

And of course, this weeks "Rock of the Week"

How to use your rock

     Everyone can enjoy the simple pleasure of having a painted rock of their own. However, what to do with one after you take it home? The good news is that most everyone enjoys the novelty of a hand-painted gift rock. Especially one that glows in the dark! Whether you paint one yourself, purchase it, or find one that has been hidden. These rocks are a special keepsakes. 

    Rocks have even been found next to gravesites as a memorial to deceased friends, family members or pets. Aside from this, on a practical level they make excellent doorstops, paperweights and bookmarks. 

     They can serve as a reminder to purchase a can of tuna for the cat when left by the front door. A particularly hard rock can also be used as a hammer or grinder when used to crush corn inside a concave stone (a la the mortar and pestle).

     A brightly painted rock can be seen as a boundary point, or a significant address marker when driving down an unfamiliar road. Rocks delineate gardens and cover holes to keep out rodents. You can probably come up with a grand list of ways to use a rock.

    To me, rocks are also spiritual items. They are in effect, one of the most ancient physical forms found in nature. Yet no two rocks are really the same, much as humans are not either. By themselves they are merely consolidated matter. As a group they can form walls and fortify castles. They play an important parts in Science, History, Art and Culture.

   Native Americans and Australian aborigines will say that they are imbued with the Spirit of their ancestors, and serve as talismans to be carried as a form of reverence and protection. Monks have used stones as a focusing device in meditation. In this sense, it serves one by keeping it in the palm of your hand, while holding someone in your best thoughts and prayers.

What a winter!

  Indeed, with more storms coming, it is a blessing to have our water table rise to pre draught levels. The good news is that more posts have been forthcoming and more rocks are being painted to refurbish the supply for every rock sold. 2022 has been a year of gratitude in continuing doing what has been a joy for the past 13 years. Whatever weather has kept me inside the apartment studio has added to a discipline and practice that is like meditating, but not quite. Music or podcasts are sometimes playing in the background. However, attaining a little serenity while painting can be a plus.

 Collecting rocks at the beach has not been as frequent an endeavour as it is in the drier months. A creek that crosses the entrance to the beach has to be travailed by rolling one's pant legs up in hopes you don't slip which could mean big trouble. Especially if you have an iPhone in your pocket. Luckily, that hasn't been the case on my last excursion. Flat, round and smooth are the criterion for finding suitable rocks. Luck in this regard has not failed, and finding other such treasures as pieces of abalone shells for making keychains is always welcomed.

 Below are samples of the latest additions to the "Your Spirit Rocks! ™" collection. The first picture is of the creek you need to cross to get to the beach.