Tiny Pebbles, Small Stones.

My rock obsession started when I was four years old. My mother used to buy decals at hardware store, paint River rocks, white, and then apply the decals with acrylic sealer. Fast forward 42 years, and the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I was stuck working from home and during my conference calls, I would pick up some acrylic paint pens and just start doodling on these rocks. The kindness rocks movement which I had noticed years before during a visit to Chincoteague, had really taken off with people desperate to get out of their homes safely and spread joy. Facebook had a site RVA Rocks showing people leaving them all over town, especially in Deep Run Park in Henrico County. Having lived at the back entrance to that park for six years, I knew it well and began painting with grand ideas of walking there again, and placing these rocks so people could find them and maybe have a moment of joy. 

As I continued to paint, the patterns became more complex. I started to really appreciate the smooth texture of the rocks and explore my intuition. I would just pick the first thing on my mind that day and start sketching. I bought a few books with designs and although those were fun, I just started to explore different acrylic Pen types, metallics, texture, 3-dimensional things, and the rocks began to take on a life of their own. 

Each rock is its own little masterpiece, and there is now a collection within a collection that I just cannot bear to part with. The rest will go back to the universe to bring joy to their captors this summer at the beach, in shopping centers, at restaurants. Even if they just bring a quick smile to a child or start a conversation between people, then their purpose has been fulfilled.