#24: Rock of Ages

On a recent trip to the west coast I found myself walking along Gold Beach, CA. There were some interesting, oval, mottled rocks. I looked at them… twice… and again… and they reminded me of the cute harbor seals I had seen. I began to wonder if I could somehow paint details to make the rocks look like seals.

Seals don't curl up, but the shape of the rock, and the coloring, made me think what a sleeping seal might look like… if it did want to curl up! I used lighter and darker colors, adding some water to make the paint more transparent, to paint the face and other features of the seals. 

I was traveling with a group of people on an organized RV tour. I decided it would be fun to let each couple take home a painted rock that would be a reminder of something we saw on our west coast trip.

Sea Turtles

Sea Otters

My personal favorite is the ray.

I was excited when I found the rock with such a unique shape.

Then, I became even more excited when I figured what I could do with the shape.

What I like about the paintings:

• I used a wash of diluted paint on the turtles' backs and on the ray. I like how the wash created depth. 
• I was able to use blending techniques in a number of paintings. I was especially pleased with how it worked on the turtle on the left side of the picture.

What I might do differently:

• I wish I had thought of this project earlier so I could have more time to create more creatures. I also wish I had collected more of the mottled rocks.

What I learned:

• I was in a hurry to seal the rocks with clear lacquer. One of the rocks was too wet when I turned it over, and later, the lacquer and the paint underneath peeled off. Next time I need to make sure I have enough time between layers of paint for everything to dry.