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| Fine Time Art 60 by KimB 2018 Whale Rock |
Showing posts with label Art KimB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art KimB. Show all posts
Monday, April 16, 2018
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Painting Rocks by KimB
Recently, a friend invited me to come "Paint Rocks" at her home. She explained it was a "new thing" her whole family had started to do and was a very popular past time.
She explained that you find a nice rock or cobble stone and paint it however you like, then you "hide" it for others to find. People put some sort of identifier on the rocks so the finder can post a message on line that a particular rock was found. The finder can keep the rock or re-hide it in the same spot or another location.
How could I possibly resist?
So I spent an enjoyable afternoon painting my rock and chatting with my friend and learned about painting rocks. It's easy but then not so easy.
First thing: You gotta pick a rock.
Next up: What are you going to paint.
Then the hardest part: What colors.
Since the main object is for someone to find it, I selected some bright colors. It was surprising that some colors worked better than others and I had to re-do-over a few spots when my selected color turned out to be a dud on my particular rock.
The last item is: Paint the Rock.
While concentrating on my rock, I considered how "not new" this activity really is. Humans have been painting rocks for a very very long time. 3 One of the prime indicators of "human-ness" is art.
There are the major cave works like Lascaux and Pech Merle 4 in France where the wild life and spotted horses of prehistoric times are recorded. There are myriad images painted in caves, on cliffs and overhangs all over the world. There are carvings and etchings of great intricacies that are some humanity's earliest expressions of the universe.
There are portable artworks too, rocks etched and carved in great detail; their purpose is not known but they were carried far from the location of the rock's origin. Deer horns, bones, ivory and just about anything portable served the same purpose. 5
We've been creating and carting around a lot of stuff for a long time.
The Mani Stone 6 is an example of portable art. The stones are marked with a Buddhist mantra and placed in a variety of locations, generally locations of Buddhist significance but they can also be found along rivers and roadsides.
Perhaps many many years from now, some future person will come across our current expressions of universal connection. They will ponder the meanings of the designs and images. They will analyze all the colors and paint types and consider individual brush strokes under powerful microscopes. They will consider the origin of the rocks and maybe extract DNA captured during painting. They will wonder at the variety and styles and no doubt completely lose their way in ascribing some massive, theoretical meaning to each rock.
Then again, maybe they will be correct, because there is some ancestral need to say "I was here". A need that transcends our current status, arising from our collective humanity. A need to match the universe against our most enduring weapon: our imagination.
I left my completed masterpiece in the care of my friend.
But it's "My Rock".
References
She explained that you find a nice rock or cobble stone and paint it however you like, then you "hide" it for others to find. People put some sort of identifier on the rocks so the finder can post a message on line that a particular rock was found. The finder can keep the rock or re-hide it in the same spot or another location.
How could I possibly resist?
So I spent an enjoyable afternoon painting my rock and chatting with my friend and learned about painting rocks. It's easy but then not so easy.
First thing: You gotta pick a rock.
A rock is a rock is a rock. 1It sounds simple but you know when you are about to become a Leonardo, all of sudden the shape, size, texture and color of the rock becomes a Big Deal. My friend had a large selection of rocks to pick from that had already been washed and dried. I must of looked over a dozen before I selected "My Rock".
Next up: What are you going to paint.
What do you paint, when you paint on a wall? 2You can paint anything you like on the rock but some rocks "hint" at an idea, sort of like the adage that the sculptor's marble block tells them what's inside, rocks can hint at images that would fit their configuration. My friend had a lot of samples of rocks her family had painted. Sunshine rays, geometric decorations, complex geometries, free form drawings and cartoon images created from transfer paper.
Then the hardest part: What colors.
What are the colors you use when you paint? 2Like any work of art, the colors make a difference. My friend had about a hundred different colors and paint media to chose from. The basic paint is an acrylic poster type paint but there are painting marker-style pens for fine details and you can finish the job with an overlay of clear acrylic for a high-sheen look to your rock. She said they pick up a load of paints when the craft stores have sales and she had a dozen or more small brushes to select from.
Since the main object is for someone to find it, I selected some bright colors. It was surprising that some colors worked better than others and I had to re-do-over a few spots when my selected color turned out to be a dud on my particular rock.
The last item is: Paint the Rock.
I paint what I paint. 2
 |
| Magdalenian Horse c. 15,000 BCE 5 |
There are the major cave works like Lascaux and Pech Merle 4 in France where the wild life and spotted horses of prehistoric times are recorded. There are myriad images painted in caves, on cliffs and overhangs all over the world. There are carvings and etchings of great intricacies that are some humanity's earliest expressions of the universe.
There are portable artworks too, rocks etched and carved in great detail; their purpose is not known but they were carried far from the location of the rock's origin. Deer horns, bones, ivory and just about anything portable served the same purpose. 5
We've been creating and carting around a lot of stuff for a long time.
 |
| Bison Licking Insect Bite c. 15,000 BCE 5 |
 |
| Mani Stone6 |
Perhaps many many years from now, some future person will come across our current expressions of universal connection. They will ponder the meanings of the designs and images. They will analyze all the colors and paint types and consider individual brush strokes under powerful microscopes. They will consider the origin of the rocks and maybe extract DNA captured during painting. They will wonder at the variety and styles and no doubt completely lose their way in ascribing some massive, theoretical meaning to each rock.
Then again, maybe they will be correct, because there is some ancestral need to say "I was here". A need that transcends our current status, arising from our collective humanity. A need to match the universe against our most enduring weapon: our imagination.
I left my completed masterpiece in the care of my friend.
...after all,It is just a rock with some paint on it....
It's my wall . . . 2
But it's "My Rock".
 |
| Fire Pit painted rock KimB 02/2018 |
References
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Stein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_is_a_rose_is_a_rose_is_a_rose - I Paint What I See by E.B. White
First printed in The New Yorker of May 20, 1933.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._B._White - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_art
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Stone_Age_art
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pech_Merle - Magdalenian Horse, c. 15,000 BCE
Bison Licking Insect Bite c. 15,000 BCE - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_stone
Monday, July 31, 2017
Monday, July 17, 2017
Monday, June 26, 2017
Monday, June 05, 2017
Monday, May 15, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
Monday, April 03, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Fine Time Art
[Note: Editor's Post]
Coloring Books were FUN to do as children.
Selecting the never ending colors of crayons, deciding which colors went where and trying to stay in the lines with generally happy results. Of course there were disappointments: broken crayons, missing favorite colors, scribbles and the not uncommon dreaded gash of color outside the boundaries caused by an uncertain young hand or an over enthusiastic application of color.
Later coloring books gave way to sketch books and painting and the DIY world of art.
Coloring books were set aside on the way to adulthood becoming the provenance only of the very young.
Personally, I did miss coloring books. Sometimes I would look at the ones offered up for children remembering hunting for that periwinkle crayon or lamenting the stubs of broken crayons that never seemed to color as well as the unbroken ones. Sketch pads were not quite the same.
Someone in marketing must have noticed.
The makers of coloring books realized there was a ginormous market of untapped coloring book artists just waiting for a chance to color: this time as adults. They recognized that the large block cartoons offered to children would not satisfy the inner coloring desires of an adult and embarked on the possibly hazardous path of offering coloring books for adults.
They built upon the last vestige of time when young people colored between the lines, doing complicated posters that often grace the rooms of high school students and college dormitories.
Building upon the complicated designs of the posters they returned to a book format. Something that would fit in a briefcase or could be carried easily and perhaps sheltered from disapproving eyes. The secret coloring book artist would not be betrayed by a garish cover trolling:
Suddenly, the inner coloring book genie escaped and an explosion of coloring books for adults are now available. Stacks and stacks of all sorts of books. Hard designs, easy designs, books that include the colored pencils, color by number books, books of favorite characters or movies, books with holiday themes. Colored pencils, gel pens, watercolor felt pens, crayons and every sort of media from ink to glitter are available. No more laments for the missing periwinkle as assorted packs of pencils and pens offer hundreds of colors with duplicates of the favorites.
MrsB has become an enthusiastic coloring book artist. She's passed her enthusiasm to everyone around her. She's taken the challenge of merging DIY art with a fixed format. Her selection of media for any piece ranges from colored pencils to gel pens to well, anything she thinks will be interesting. She mixes gel pen colors: coloring one color on top of another while the ink is wet to obtain unusual and distinct colors.
Of her work she said:
I countered:
Thus, our Fine Time Art selection was created.
Look for examples of the art produced by MrsB, myself and perhaps other intrepid secret coloring book artists. The designs will be posted on Mondays. We already have quite a few ready to show.
Our current recurring topics are:
We hope that spring will bring back some Gardening Competition... that is if the rain ever stops. And perhaps a few new recipes will make their way on to a page here and there.
And we want to thank all the readers of MrsB blog. We know that people from all over the world visit her pages and we hope they feel welcome here. We hope you enjoy the stories we tell.
No matter where you are: We are all family.
KimB Editor
Coloring Books were FUN to do as children.
Selecting the never ending colors of crayons, deciding which colors went where and trying to stay in the lines with generally happy results. Of course there were disappointments: broken crayons, missing favorite colors, scribbles and the not uncommon dreaded gash of color outside the boundaries caused by an uncertain young hand or an over enthusiastic application of color.
Later coloring books gave way to sketch books and painting and the DIY world of art.
Make your own and make it your own way.
Coloring books were set aside on the way to adulthood becoming the provenance only of the very young.
Personally, I did miss coloring books. Sometimes I would look at the ones offered up for children remembering hunting for that periwinkle crayon or lamenting the stubs of broken crayons that never seemed to color as well as the unbroken ones. Sketch pads were not quite the same.
Someone in marketing must have noticed.
The makers of coloring books realized there was a ginormous market of untapped coloring book artists just waiting for a chance to color: this time as adults. They recognized that the large block cartoons offered to children would not satisfy the inner coloring desires of an adult and embarked on the possibly hazardous path of offering coloring books for adults.
They built upon the last vestige of time when young people colored between the lines, doing complicated posters that often grace the rooms of high school students and college dormitories.
Building upon the complicated designs of the posters they returned to a book format. Something that would fit in a briefcase or could be carried easily and perhaps sheltered from disapproving eyes. The secret coloring book artist would not be betrayed by a garish cover trolling:
LOOK! SHE'S COLORING!
Suddenly, the inner coloring book genie escaped and an explosion of coloring books for adults are now available. Stacks and stacks of all sorts of books. Hard designs, easy designs, books that include the colored pencils, color by number books, books of favorite characters or movies, books with holiday themes. Colored pencils, gel pens, watercolor felt pens, crayons and every sort of media from ink to glitter are available. No more laments for the missing periwinkle as assorted packs of pencils and pens offer hundreds of colors with duplicates of the favorites.
MrsB has become an enthusiastic coloring book artist. She's passed her enthusiasm to everyone around her. She's taken the challenge of merging DIY art with a fixed format. Her selection of media for any piece ranges from colored pencils to gel pens to well, anything she thinks will be interesting. She mixes gel pen colors: coloring one color on top of another while the ink is wet to obtain unusual and distinct colors.
Of her work she said:
Well, it's not Fine Art.
I countered:
It IS Fine Art because we have FINE TIME doing it!
Thus, our Fine Time Art selection was created.
Look for examples of the art produced by MrsB, myself and perhaps other intrepid secret coloring book artists. The designs will be posted on Mondays. We already have quite a few ready to show.
Our current recurring topics are:
| Recurring Topics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Fine Time Art | |
| Wednesday | Ripples Episodes | |
We hope that spring will bring back some Gardening Competition... that is if the rain ever stops. And perhaps a few new recipes will make their way on to a page here and there.
And we want to thank all the readers of MrsB blog. We know that people from all over the world visit her pages and we hope they feel welcome here. We hope you enjoy the stories we tell.
No matter where you are: We are all family.
KimB Editor
Monday, January 16, 2012
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