A “rock” down memory lane

I am pretty sure I am not the only one that is sentimental about rocks and shells collected from one location or another. It is hard to part with them. Seems silly, but just looking at them brings back the smell of the salt in the air, the long ago conversation, or the experience of that moment in time.

When we moved last July, I had to part with many things. We were doing a major downsize and half of everything had to go. When it came to this alabaster bowl of rocks and corals, the decision was easy to make. The Alabaster bowl was a gift from my dear friend Glenda who lost her battle with cancer this past August, and in it were rocks I gathered from a trip to the Red Sea in the Sinai Desert. So many memories in one small bowl.

Hand painted stones by Fusun Aydinlik

I was reminded of my collection of memory rocks this week when I bumped into Fusun Aydinlik's etsy shop called Zeustones. She is from Turkey and she has a great story about the stones she gathers and paints:

In Greek Mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the “Mountain of the Goddess” ; Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in Turkey.

Mount Ida in Turkey is located on the Aegean shore of Anatolia, near the site of ancient Troy. Here lies the classical shrine where Paris is said to have judged the beauty of three Greek goddesses: Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. This event was also considered as the origin of the Trojan War owing to the jealousy of the goddesses. Later when the full fury erupted, the war itself was witnessed by the mythological Gods, from a high point of Mount Ida, which at 1,800m (5,800 ft) provided a bird’s eye view of the hostilities!

I live in a village in the Ida Mountains, nestling amongst the olive groves and pine forests, southeast of the ruins of Troy. On a southern promontory of my village the Altar of Zeus (Zeus Altari), overlooks the Aegean Sea; the Gulf of Edremit and Lesbos Island….

In my neighbourhood Zeus once walked , and these are his stones… 

Each of her painted stones tells a story and are all exquisite.

Rock art my Amy Komar

When I was participating in my first poppytalk market, I bumped into Amy Komar who is a artist from Alaska. I didn't know at the time that she also paints on canvas. Here are a few more samples of her amazing rock paintings. You can also see her paintings on canvas at this link. If you do, you will be delighted to find that one is the extension of the other.

Crochet covered river rocks by StitchHappens7

In my search for rock art I had to giggle when I found Renee's shop called StitchHappens7. She lives in a small rural southern New Jersey town, is a mother of five and has a house full of cats and dogs. She is a lover of yarn and all things natural. And you guessed it, she combines rocks and yarn to create her masterpieces. Doesn't it just make you want to hug a rock?

rock art by BillieRocks

The last stop on my rock art trail is a shop called BillieRocks. I think the artist's name is Billie. She is a self taught artist who took up rock painting as adult. She loves everything about the process from selecting a river rock that is just the right size and shape, cleaning the rock, sketching an outline, doing the painting, and giving the piece the final touches. The results are amazing!

Finding all of these artists, gave me an even better appreciation for the collected smooth rocks in my alabaster bowl. Treasures every one!

Happy Friday!