Rock Art Newsletter Fall 2009
Several people have asked recently if they
had missed some issues of my newsletters. “I don’t think I’ve gotten one
in a long time,” one subscriber wrote. I quickly assured her that the problem
was with the writer, not the internet. Even with the best of intentions,
finding the time and energy to write a note to my fellow rock painters
can be elusive.
I began this one many weeks back, inspired
on the first day of autumn because for 2 weekends and some of the weekdays
between in mid-to-late September, I’d been working as a ‘featured craftsperson’
at Silver Dollar City, a theme park just outside of Branson, Missouri.
The park got its start as a guided cave
tour and Marvel Cave continues to be one of the attractions, but over the
past 50+ years, it has grown to be a huge multi-faceted park, offering
a glimpse of life as it used to be lived in the Ozarks, with quaint cabins
to explore, old time crafts to watch, and many new (but old-looking) rides
for thrill seekers. It was recently awarded the title of “Friendliest Theme
Park in America.”
I was contacted last winter about coming
to demonstrate rock painting techniques. Fall was so far away that I allowed
myself to be talked into signing on. Then as spring and summer raced by,
I began to wish I hadn’t agreed to it. It meant painting new things and
sorting through many rock art pieces created for my various books, cleaning
them, touching up any bumps or bruises, and packing them to travel the
45 miles up to the park. I found myself dreading the time away from home
and all the hours I would be stuck in a booth.
As is so often the case, all that dread
was uncalled for. The park was beautifully decorated with hay bales, pumpkins,
and fall-themed scarecrows and flowers. Mums are blooming everywhere! There
was a brisk snap to the air (when the air was not full of rain drops as
it was one Saturday!) and crowds of families and people of all ages came
through the gates. My good friend Wandra Dees agreed to come paint in the
booth with me, so that we could spell one another long enough to eat and
to walk about and see the other crafters. Many visitors stopped by to stare
in surprise at our display of painted rock art. Some had never heard of
rock painting, others had no idea how artistic and realistic animals and
flower rocks could be. We heard lots of comments about ‘pet rocks,’ to
which we’d reply; “Ah, but these are pet rocks with personality!”
It turned out to be a great chance to tell
people why painting on rocks is such an ideal art activity. No one needs
to be afraid of painting on a rock! Even if your first efforts don’t look
as good as you hoped, you will have learned so much just by just picking
up a brush and beginning to paint. And you get unlimited chances to figure
out how to improve your results.
It was energizing to speak with people
who’d say “Wow! I think I could do this!” That is exactly what made it
so worthwhile to step out of my normal routine and spend a few weeks talking
to people that I might otherwise never have met. It really helped to remind
me of why I love teaching and sharing painting techniques. Enthusiasm is
contagious, and it travels in both directions. People got excited when
they saw what could be done with a plain rock and a bit of paint. And I
got excited at seeing their reactions. Many parents talked to me about
the supplies needed to get their children started.
Sometimes people would begin to look at
the display of painted rocks and say, “I’ve done this before. I think I
have a book about how to do it.” I would point to the display of my books
and ask if their book looked like any of them. “Oh! That’s it! Wait! Are
you Lin?” Then they would share stories about their experiences making
rock art.
Then there were conversations with people
who were clearly attracted to the idea of painting rocks, but who were
certain they could never do it. One woman close to my age told me about
taking a college drawing course and having the instructor hold up her first
day’s drawing to ridicule it. She was shattered and dropped the class,
and the pain of that experience had stayed with her for decades. But she
left with a book and a ‘training wheel’ rock, one I’d sketched a design
on to help beginners get off to a good start. I hope that she will finally
have the chance to heal, and to discover that creativity can be fun.
By the way, can you guess what the fastest
selling rock art pieces were at Silver Dollar City? Nativity sets! It turns
out there are many collectors out there, and they loved finding my one-of-a-kind
sets. I also painted some groupings on a single rock and these also tended
to sell as soon as I got them finished. People looking for a way to make
some extra money for the holidays might want to try making some.
We all need to find ways to use and develop
our various talents, and rock painting can be an ideal, low-risk way to
do that. As we reexamine our values in the light of changing economic
conditions, rock painting starts to make more and more sense..
Sadly, book publishing has suffered during
the downturn, and over the past year my former publisher has made the tough
choice to let some of my books go out of print. Painting More Animals is
not currently available anywhere, but I hope to convert it into a downloadable
e-book in the near future. Supplies of Painting Pets on Rocks are very
limited. As I was composing this newsletter, I got word that North Light
has decided to let Painting on Rocks for Kids go out of print as well,
and unfortunately, I was not able to order extra books before they sold
out. Apparently they went through the remaining cases of books before I
got the letter they sent. Seems odd to me that a book that still sells
that strongly would be discontinued, especially when new youngsters are
coming down the pike all the time, but there are many things about the
way my former publisher operated that inspired me to form my own company.
I stocked up on Painting Flowers on Rocks and Painting Zoo Animals on Rocks,
and hope to have them and my other books available for sale for the foreseeable
future, both through my website and through Amazon.com. Rock Painting Fun
for Everyone and Painted Garden Art Anyone Can Do continue to be available
at a number of outlets, as is The Art of Painting Animals on Rocks as of
this writing. Most of my books have had very long runs, some now in their
2nd decade, so I feel fortunate that they have proved to have such staying
power.
A question I am hearing often lately is
if I am working on another book. I have a fairly large collection of fantasy
rock pieces that have accumulated over the years, including elves and gnomes,
dragons, fairies and fairy cottages. If I do another book, that would probably
be my choice. I would welcome feedback from fellow painters as to whether
this is a subject that would appeal to you.
Don’t forget to check out the goings-on
at the rock painting club on Yahoo. WWW.group.yahoo.com/groups/rockpainting
It’s a great place to get re-inspired, share photos of what you’ve been
painting, and meet other painters. Betty and Kathleen do a great job of
keeping things rolling along at the club.
Looking for Christmas present ideas? I
have some nearly perfect copies of Rock Painting Fun for Everyone with
only slight scuffs or very slightly bent corners that I am offering only
through the newsletter at $7.00 for one, $12.00 for two and $15.00 for
three. I will happily sign them. You may order them by sending a PayPal
payment to linwell@cswnet.com or send a check or money order to ArtStone
Press, 9328 Hwy 62 E. Green Forest, AR 72638. Canadians would need
to send an extra $2 per book due to the higher cost of mailing out of the
country.
One last note: this winter I hope to revamp
my website to make it more student-oriented, including some stepped out
instructions and tips on getting started. I welcome suggestions on what
you might like to see.
All my best to all my rockin’ friends!
Lin
Would you like to start
painting rocks?
Order
Books / Video Here
