Investment

It has been said that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.
This is what is known as a truism. In other words, it contains a grain of truth. The saying compels one to follow ones instinct, and trust not only what feeds your bliss but what others may have to offer about what they think your gift(s) are.

Art has always been an enjoyable exercise for me. As far back as I can recall, drawing and painting images on a variety of surfaces has been appealing because it usually produced a result I could be satisfied with; And surprising to me was that feeling of accomplishment. Later on, through discovery, experience and wisdom the wheat from the chaff began to divide. One could produce imagery that did not take much work to produce, and could render an absolutely stunning result. On the other hand, one could work slavishly and render a comparable result. The whole ordeal of art is about this process of compiling an outcome to produce and income, so as to produce more, better and different outcomes.

The beat goes on...

Painting rocks has rendered some stunning outcomes with a mix of ease and comfort. Some days I am not so lucky. These are the days when I count on both inspiration and perspiration. My academic training has paid off here because, I can do what others have done before me ( i.e. seek inspiring images, new mediums, methods and/or materials) Who would have thought that choosing a variety of surfaces, mediums and materials could be such a pleasing activity to further ones creative process. Below is this weeks rock of the week.

How can I use my rock?

Okay, So you have purchased a Spirit Rock. How can it be of use to me or someone else. I am asked this question from time to time. One of the best uses for a rock is to have it as a talisman. In other words, a meditation device. Many will hold it in their hands as they settle their mind and begin to focus. An affirmation sheet is included with each rock sold.

The other way the rock can be used is as a placeholder, after finishing a chapter in a book. When you put it on a night stand, it makes a comforting night light that softly fades. Children like this effect, especially if they are afraid of the dark.
Usually a little black light can keep them busy, highlighting the colors on the rock before they doze off to sleep.

Another use for the rock is to have it on your window sill or by the door as a way to remind yourself of something before leaving your home for the day. Some will keep one by their computer to refocus their eyes after viewing the monitor for a while. It just is a colorful item to uplift your spirit every time you view it.

If you can think of other ways to use these rocks, I am always open to hearing your suggestions.

Here is this weeks rock

This is a stacked, heart-shaped rock with a metallic mylar heart adhered in the middle with glow in the dark paint droplets surrounding it. 

The Rock Holder

This is a project I've been working on for some time. I am trying to get it ready for Valentine's day 2015. Basically, it was a flat piece of carbon fiber that I had die-cut into a heart shape with an inverted heart shape cut out of the middle. The next step in the process was bending the whole shape right down the middle at a 90˚ angle, so that it would lie flat on a horizontal surface.

The bending of the shape and the size of the inverted heart was problematic. I tried bending it over a coat hanger, softening it in a low heat oven, taking a heat gun to it, etc. I have finally found a solution that seems to work pretty well.

I have an old flat clothes iron that heats slowly and uniformly ( important ). I take the heart shape and hold it on the edge of the iron until it gets soft enough to bend, and Voila ! I have my rock holder.

The Sun will shine on Saturday !

A big storm hit the west coast this week. Yes, we need the rain, but this is ridiculous! We're told that their will be a break come Saturday and Sunday. Phew!Maybe the folks at the Farmer's Market will breathe a little easier if they don't have to drive through washed out roads to get here. Last Saturday was the Black Stallion Winery's annual Open House and gift show. A lot of rocks got sold and many were pleased with their purchases. Everyone seemed to enjoy the black light that illuminated the rocks in that special way. We ate copious amounts of finger food and those who weren't tea totalers like myself, were happy to sample the home vintage. A fun time was had by all. Below was an overall view of the display table with the special lighting.

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.