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Lin Wellford's Rock Art News- Fall 2007
Rock Art News- Spring 2008

Where does time go?  Recently I was reminded by several newsletter 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 for $17.95, 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

www.linwellford.com
www.ArtStonePress.com

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