subscribers that it has been a while since I last wrote one. Thanks
to their nudging, I am happy to sit down and send out a bit of rock
painting news.
Anyone who lives in the middle of the country knows that this has
been one wet place. Rivers have been out of their banks several
times, the lakes that were formed by damming the White River have
been running their flood gates for days on end, and many people who
thought they were high and dry, have been forced by flooding to seek
shelter elsewhere while the water recedes. Our little wet-weather
stream was roaring, but fortunately, it is down a steep hillside from
us, so other than some leakage into the basement, we fared just fine.
One small silver lining is that all this water will ensure a massive
redistribution of river rocks. I know my local creek bank has been
transformed. And as the water gives way, I've been out with my
bucket, gathering rocks for a class I will teach this month to some
grade school students. My class, along with several others, is being
sponsored by the Winrock Foundation (started by Winthrop
Rockerfeller), as a reward for these high performing students. I love
getting the chance to introduce young artists to the fun and
excitement of transforming rocks.
Speaking of young artists, another student contacted me awhile back,
asking questions about rock painting and how I got started, for a
report she was writing. Afterwards, she sent a photo of her display,
complete with samples of her own rock painting projects! They were
amazing! Karissa is featured on our front page at www.linwellford.com
Way to go, Karissa!
This spring brought news that my former publisher has decided to
allow a couple of my books to go out of print. I consider myself very
fortunate in the books have had such long lives, and with nine books
in print it was not completely unexpected that they would phase some
older titles out. However, I was pleased to be offered a chance to
buy up copies of Painting Houses, Cottages and Towns on Rocks at a
close-out price, and I plan on passing on the bargain.
Although I love painting animals, I have always found it a joy to
create little houses. They are probably the easiest subject to paint,
too, since anyone can paint a square or a rectangle. Adding doors and
windows to almost any rock can make it look like a house… They are a
lot of fun to display, too. People often send me photos of the garden
villages they set up outside to show off their creations. One real
estate agent told me that she likes to paint a rock house to give as
a house-warming gift each time a client moves into a new home. They
look really cute tucked into the base of houseplants as well, and
gnome homes seem to sell particularly at farmer's markets and craft
sales.
If you have never tried painting houses and cottages, this is a great
time to think about it. I am offering signed copies of this book for
$10.00 including postage, if mailed within the US. The total would be
$13.00 for Canadians. This offer is for people who receive this
newsletter (and their friends). The book will be available at a new
price through my website shortly, but this bargain-basement price is
exclusive to this list.
With the economy feeling so `iffy', I've opted to hold off on
publishing a new rock painting title until I see some signs that
people are feeling more confident again. But I wonder if there has
ever been a better time to take up rock painting? Could there be a
less expensive way to enjoy making art? And making art can be a
wonderful way to reduce the stress of worrying about high prices and
other scary things. In times like these, we need our creativity more
than ever before. Over the years I have heard from many people who
used their skills to make rock art to sell to supplement their
income. With so little investment in raw materials, it is possible to
get a pretty good return for your efforts.
But while waiting for things to improve, my oldest daughter and I
have collaborated on a small gift book that developed out of my own
efforts to choose a grandparenting name for myself when my first
grandchild was on the way. I knew I was never going to feel like
a `grandma', even though I was certainly eager to get my hands on a
grandbaby! I finally settled on "Mimi", but it planted the seed for a
book of name options to help other about-to-be-grandparents choose
that just-right name for what must be one of life's sweetest roles.
Believe it or not, we ended up with over 700 possible options for
grandparents to call themselves, from traditional names and ones that
reflect heritage or ethnic background, to trendy names, playful
names, names that celebrate an interest or personality trait…even a
chapter on creating custom names.
We are hoping that the book will be a handy resource for grandparents-
to-be, and that expectant parents may also want to use it as a way of
announcing their big news. The projected price for this small,
hardcover book will be $9.99.
If anyone who gets my newsletter is interested in getting updates on
when this book will be available and how to sign up for a pre-
publication special, please send me a note.
To see an image of the cover, you can visit www.ArtStonePress.com
Please feel free to contact me about any rock painting question you
may have. If I can help, I will.
Two recent questions were:
1) How do I paint Texas Blue Bonnets on a rock, from an painter who
travels the country in her RV and likes to leave rocks behind
appropriate to the area she is visiting.
Answer: Use the instructions for the spiky blue flowers in the flower
basket project at the end of Painting Flowers on Rocks, but hinge two
oval blossoms together, then five the upper one an smaller white oval
center.
2) Should I paint the bottom of my rocks?
Answer: There is no right or wrong way to paint a rock. I like to
leave the bottom unpainted (but sealed with clear sealer to block
moisture) because that is where I sign and date the piece. But others
have painted the bottoms, for instance, adding the bottoms of feet
with little pink paw pads for their kitty. The bottoms are rarely
seen unless the rock is picked up, so it just depends on how
realistic you want to get.
All my best to my rockin' friends-
Lin
www.linwellford.com
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