Blog posts

September 2019 - Industrial Nature Sculpture
August 2019 - Abstract Mixed Media
June 2019 - Paper Tube Sculpture
April 2019 - Rock Painting Extravaganza
January 2019 - Mini Shelf Pole
November 2018 - Painted Gourd
October 2018 - Matryoshka Doll Wall Hanging
September 2018 - Garden Pole
August 2018 - Mosaic Garden Sphere
June 2018 - Rock Houses
January 2018 - Art Can Happen Anywhere
November 2017 - Negative Space Painting
August 2017 - Altered Books
May 2017 - Annoying Cat
March 2017 - Costumes and Props
February 2017 - T-shirt Mania
January 2017 - 52 Week Illustration Challenge
December 2016 - Wonder Woman Fleece Hat
September 2016 - Lonely Chair Stop Motion
August 2016 - Sponging Rocks
May 2016 - Creating art with kids
April 2016 - Pew pew pew
March 2016 - Garage Band
Febraury 2016 - Stikbots Videos
January 2016 - Cross stitching zombies
December 2015 - Monster Mobile
November 2015 - The Reversible Seal Hat
October 2015 - Hallowe'en Maker Month
May 2015 - Avatar, Harry Potter and Shopkins

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April 2019 : Rock Painting Extravaganza

Spring is here and the ice has melted off the beach. For some that means no more shovelling snow or winter boots. For me it means I have access to the rocks at the beach. It’s rock painting season!

What started as my daughter and her friend gathering a few rocks to paint to sell at the school fundraiser for their school’s grad trip turning into a full table, rock painting extravaganza. Where we live it is hard to go to the beach and not find that oh so smooth perfect rock for painting. We came home with bags of them and while they girls painted I hatched a grand idea painting names rocks for everyone in my family that I could give to my Dad on his upcoming 80th birthday. My Mom and Dad are gardeners and they a gorgeous front yard and backyard landscaped with thousands of flowers and plants, greenhouses full of tropical plants and several ponds, streams and waterfalls full of water plants and fish. Plus there are the rocks, lots of rocks, outlining beds and ponds and creating tiers down the front hill. I thought why not add some more rocks, one for each person in our family. There are 16 of us in all and now there are 16 more rocks in my Father’s garden.

So 16 rocks was the intent. I introvertedly painted more than 150 while making those 16 rocks. Every time I squeezed out some paint on my palette I used any left over paint to paint a few extra rocks, adding either a base coat or dots upon dots. The girls also had extra paint left over from their fundraising rocks and so I needed to use up their paint as well.

It was a nice break from lesson planning or trying new art techniques and was somewhat more akin to zen tangling or colouring. Something easy. Just make dots. Anyways, a few days later and I had about 50 rocks to go towards the school fundraiser and about 100 more to go with my Dad to a membership drive at a community gardening event. I think I’ll continue to keep rocks at the ready to continue to use up paint leftovers. The only downside if my son may be upset he will no longer had dried paint on my palettes to peel off, which he finds strangely soothing.

Check out my other rock painting blogs entries from June 2018 and August 2016.