Day 21 of the 100-Day Project has arrived, and it's a windy, cold and rainy one... perfect for being inside in the "art corner" and getting something creative done.
An older design, made for a holiday show
Whereas we very much enjoyed having our son stay here for a few days, it's really nice to go back to having the house to ourselves again! He's not exactly a guest when he's here, but it's still another person's energy adding to the whole vibe of the place.
Daylight Saving Time also started yesterday, meaning that we seem to have a little more evening light than before, meaning that I can work on art during daylight hours, even after running errands in town with a 5:00pm deadline.
I really do prefer to do creative work with natural light, but it is a rare luxury...
What I am painting today
Day 21 Stone Painting:
So, for today's stone I decided to pick out one of those pale stones that I have so few of, and do something a little different.
While I like the way these sand colored stones turn out, I don't find very many that are smooth enough to warrant being painted. And whereas I find a decent number of smaller sized ones, a somewhat larger stone like this one (anout 3" across) is a considerable rarity.
I like using reds and yellows on pale stones because I actually don't have to double paint any of the lines.
I can tell, pretty much from the outset, that this stone is on the edge of being too rough to paint well. That means I have to be particularly careful with not having any of the colors I use become too liquid.
The natural striations and color stripes in the stone should not be a problem, and will hardly be noticeable once it is painted.
I like the brightness of this, but now we're changing colors!
I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing here, but this might be interesting. It's a bit of an experiment so far, but now I'm going to change the approach in midstream.
Don't know why I thought mixing two color groups is a good idea, but I'm going with it.
Not sure how much I like this, but I'm going to keep going.
Yes, sometimes I end up doing designs I don't have any errors in them but they just don't work as far as the colors go and they do end up out in our garden.
I mean I still finish them, and I give them a finish coat, but they never see the light of day is something that's for sale.
However, I think I'm going to keep this one! Should be even better once it gets its finish coat.
The finished product...
Day 21 Summary and Social Media Bits:
One stone finished: A fairly nice pale stone for a change, think it turned out pretty well. I'm glad I am getting a fair number of bigger pieces done for this challenge!
Daily Twitter/X post: Check. Getting a little better with that, perhaps because I have more of a routine, so I only spend a few minutes with it, each day. Follower count is slowly rising. ALL social media is slow at the start!.
Daily Facebook Page post: Check. Shared one of my "collage" pictures of recent work.
Daily Instagram post: Check. Shared one of my older "tribal" designs... been a while since I've painted one like that. Maybe I should try...
Other Stuff: As usual, this Hive post; spent a little more time with the social media end of things today than I have been, and that's a good thing. Daily shoutout to 
Day 21 completed; a little more relaxed, even though I am incredibly busy with "other stuff," relating to making an actual income.
I appreciate you coming to visit and please do leave a comment if you feel so inclined!
Thank You!
If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!
Because I am trying to make some semblance of income — a part time living, even — I now add this footer to all my posts, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might decide to take a further look at my work, and perhaps consider supporting independent art.
Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!
My Alchemy Stones Patreon appeal
Alchemy Stones web site and blog
Regardless, your upvotes and comments are always appreciated!
Thank you for supporting independent art!
2024.03.11 AS-TXT-214/184