Are they really all FREE Hand Painted?

It is always interesting for me to watch people look at Alchemy Stones in a "live" setting, like an arts & crafts show or festival.

People ask me "what kind of stencils" I use, and whether the designs are "a transfer." Some want to know if it "hurts my eyes" to paint in such detail. Others want to know if I sketch out the patterns before painting them on the rocks.

No, I don't use any stencils, transfers or other "plans" created ahead of time.

Alchemy Stones are 100% free-hand painted, going only by what I see inside my head. Even this large stone pictured here simply started as the single dot in the center, and then developed from there.

I simply start with a stone and some colors... and then start building a design from there. After the first few elements are laid down on the stone, I pretty much just "intuit" what to do next.

My wife insists it's "channeled information." Maybe she's right-- or maybe I just happen to be "one of those people" who work well on a really small scale. The metaphysical properties associated with a design definitely feels like channeled information, so maybe it all just walks hand in hand.

Much of the time, I have no idea what's going to come out, when I start painting. And sometimes, I'm as surprised as some of those around me who have been watching.

Alchemy Stones are definitely "inspired by" Sacred Geometry and recursive patterns in nature (fractals), but I generally don't refer to them directly as BEING Sacred Geometry because I don't want to lock myself into having to recreate accurate reproductions of the Flower of Life (for example) on every stone I paint... I'm more in favor of the "let's just see what comes out" method.

Besides, it's a lot more fun that way!

So to conclude, YES the stones are 100% free-hand painted, and every one is unique.

Vacation Time!

This is just a very brief announcement that the Alchemy Stones stores on both eBay and Etsy will be temporarily closed down on Wednesday, June 3rd for our annual vacation.

The stores will reopen for business and normal order filling will resume on Monday, June 29th.

While the shops are "offline" for purchases, you can still view what's available and bookmark favorites for later purchase. Both eBay and Etsy offer a "notify me" service that will send you an email reminder when the shops reopen.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while we take this much needed break!

Why there are so few "pale" Alchemy Stones

We periodically get asked why there seem to be so few "pale" Alchemy Stones.

Or... sometimes people want to know why almost all Alchemy Stones are dark or black, when there are usually 100s of different stone colors found on virtually every beach.

It's definitely true that lighter colored stones seldom show up in our collection. There are a few good reasons for this.

A lot of pale/white rock is quartz/granite based, and is made up of actual crystals ranging in size from a grain of sugar to... well, several inches across.

Since we have deliberately made the choice to only work with naturally tumbled beach stones, we have to work with what we can find. Most of the time, these pale stones never get truly smooth surfaces-- their surfaces are more like the skin of an orange, and the numerous tiny "pits" cause paint to flow in all sorts of directions... mostly directions where I don't want paint.

The mandala patterns on Alchemy Stones are extremely accurate and detailed... so it's simply not possible to paint them on a "rough" surface. That said, some of our large "Garden Stones" often have less smooth surfaces... it works because the level of detail on Garden Stones is much lower.

Occasionally, a pale stone will appear to be very smooth. I'll bring it home and wash it... and then start painting, only to discover that it actually has thousands of minute "fissures" (cracks) in the surface. Paint-- being liquid-- will follow any path open to it... so what starts as a straight line will look "feathered" within 10 seconds as the paint flows to fill these tiny cracks. Again, these just can't be painted well, so I generally avoid them.

By contrast, many dark stones are formed as a result of very finely powdered silt (like fine grain clay) turning into rock in the course of millions of years. These very tiny grains of silt allow for an extremely smooth and crack-free surface to form, clear of any tiny cracks to "misdirect" the paint.

One final issue I come across is that many pale stones (especially in the granite family) are not a uniform color-- they are actually patterned and multi-colored, like a granite kitchen countertop. Why is that a problem? That's a matter of personal aesthetic preferences, I suppose-- I just can't get it to "look right," a bit like trying to wear plaid and stripes together-- it hurts my eyes!

All that said, I do occasionally come across pale stones that turn out to be smooth enough to paint... and they offer a lovely contrast background for darker paint colors, as show in a couple of examples here.

Occasionally I hear "Why don't you just put the pale rocks in a rock tumbler?"

Well, whereas that might work-- in the functional sense-- it goes against our intention that Alchemy Stones are "natural" and come to you unaltered, with nothing but surface decoration added.

How Many Alchemy Stones are Made?

Somebody wrote in and asked "how many Alchemy Stones there are," and how many I make.

After considering for a bit-- and because I am an art collector, myself-- I realized that the question was indirectly asking whether Alchemy Stones are collectible and have a "value."

To be perfectly honest, Alchemy Stones really haven't been around long enough to have established a track record in that sense. That said, we already have at least a dozen people who have bought multiple stones over time and must have somewhat of a "collection" by now.

So the short answer to this line of thinking is "If you like 'em, buy your favorite ones and collect 'em!" That's how it has been for me, when I have accumulated a number of a single artist's art pottery pieces, for example.

To arrive at a more "serious" answer, I would have to respond by saying "come back and ask that question again when Alchemy Stones have been in the public eye for 8-10 years or more. And in that context, what I can tell you is that I have been working with these patterns for almost 50 years-- the last four using beach stones-- and I have no plans to stop now. So the stones will continue to be around-- this is no "temporary diversion" for me.

Now, to get back to the root of the original question, the answer is "not very many."

Keep in mind that each stone is entirely hand painted, and that creating the stones is not my "day job." Also keep in mind that each stone is not just "about the painting," but has to be found, then painted, then dried, then signed and given a finish coat... then photographed and listed on one of our web sites. This all requires a considerable time investment and puts a definite cap on how many stones can be made.

Alchemy Stones will never be a "mass production" gig... and-- perhaps-- in that you can also find part of the answer as to whether the stones will become "collectible."

Are painted stones "collectible?" Well, I'm by no means the only person who paints on beach stones, and some of my fellow stone painters do really excellent work-- so painted stones, as a whole, might be a really interesting and unique thing to build a collection of.

Now if you are just looking for the "cold hard facts," the answer is (so far) "fewer than 250 stones a year." Which is just not a whole lot, no matter how you look at it.

Alchemy Stones: What the different sizes "mean"

We have had a few people send in questions, specifically asking what the different sizes we use in descriptions-- petite, small, medium, large, etc-- actually mean. Is there a general rule we use? Is size "relative?"

Well, that's a pretty good question, so here are some rules of thumb-- although we are not terribly strict about adhering to them at all times!

"Petite" stones are generally less than 1 1/4" (30mm) on the longest dimension. The small size also means the designs tend to be fairly simple-- there's just not that much "acreage" to work with.

"Small" stones generally fall in the 1 1/4" (30mm) to about 1 7/8" (48mm) range, again using the longest dimension. The designs can be a little more complex. Most stones still fit within the realm of being good as "pocket stones."

"Medium" sized stones run from about 2" (50mm) to just shy of 3" (77mm) on the longest dimension. This is the size we most often sell as "meditation stones" because they tend to be a size that fits nicely in the hand. On this size stone, some of the designs get quite complex.

"Large" stones run from about 3" (77mm) up to about 4 1/2" to 5" (125mm) on the longest dimension, depending on the shape of the stone. These are "paperweight sized" for sure; some keep them as centerpieces on their personal altars or simply as pieces of art. Large stones have the most intricate patterns and take a really long time to create.

"Jumbo" stones are generally 5" (128mm) and larger, and I very seldom create them as "regular" Alchemy Stones because of the time involved and the rarity of completely smooth stones in big sizes. Accordingly, most really big stones I paint are "garden stones," which have far "coarser" designs and are designed to be kept outside.

Naturally,the above are merely rough guidelines and not meant to be absolute rules.

Heart Stones

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, you might be wondering how it could possibly be appropriate to give the love of your life a ROCK as a gift.

Does seem a little odd, right?

But a "gift from the heart" doesn't always have to be the obvious: Chocolate, jewelry, flowers and so on. Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you.

But getting back to rocks, we do actually have some Alchemy Stones that are "about the heart." These are designs that were inspired by Love while I was painting them-- sometimes because I started with a heart shaped rock, sometimes not... and they can definitely be given as gifts with lasting meaning. Let's face it, few things are more "permanent" than rocks!

Typically, the most popular Heart Stones are in the "pocket stone" size-- guys carry them as personal talismans, and they serve as a constant reminder (and quite tangible) reminder of their sweetie.

Of course, you can also go a completely different route and pick up one of our Heart Chakra stones, specifically designed to help balance and soothe the Heart Chakra.

Either way, an Alchemy Stone could be the perfect gift for this Valentine's Day!

Alchemy Stones partners with Radio Nahmaste

We are very happy to announce that we have entered into a sponsorship agreement with Radio Nahmaste, a weekly radio show on iOM.fm, catering to the worldwide "Conscious Community." Alchemy Stones will be the primary sponsor of the show for the rest of 2015, and hopefully beyond.

This is an exciting development, as it will allow us to reach out to an audience interested in the unique combination of art+mysticism that is a central part of what the stones represent.

As part of our sponsorship, we will also be contributing an Alchemy Stone every month to be awarded for the show's "Nahmaste Award" given to individuals and organizations for exceptional contributions to human consciousness.

Since we are a show sponsor, we also hope you'll listen into the show-- hosted by Sarah Nash and billed as "A Different Brand of Enlightenment," it offers something for every taste within the realm of self-development, spirituality and consciousness raising. You can catch the show every Thursday at 3:00pm US Eastern/12:00 noon Pacific/9:00pm Central European time.

Happy Holidays!

The busy Holiday season is upon us!

That also means we have been busy around here, trying to get as many new designs as possible finished and put into our two online shops (eBay and Etsy) and out to shops and galleries.

There are still a few more things to be added in the course of the next week or so, but please keep in mind that every Alchemy Stone is unique, so if you see one that really appeals to you, the time to get it is "when you see it," because there will not be another "just like it" listed at a later time.

By way of announcement, we also like to welcome our newest member of the Alchemy Stones "family!" If you'd like to see the stones "in person," a large selection is now available from the gift shop at the Center of Holistic Wellness in Sedro-Woolley, WA. We're excited to be able share Alchemy Stones with folks in the Sedro-Woolley, Skagit Valley and Bellingham area!

With the season of gift giving here, we hope you'll consider Alchemy Stones as a unique and different type of item for people on your gift list, and especially those with an interest in the spiritual and metaphysical. Orders placed at either of our web stores on or before December 18th should still arrive safely before December 25th!

We appreciate your support during this past year, and wish you the happiest of holidays!

Outdoor Fun!

Recently, Alchemy Stones took the "show" outside, as we took part in the "Crafts by the Dock" event put on by the Port Townsend Arts Guild, as part of the annual Wood Boat Festival, here in our hometown of Port Townsend, WA.

We were fortunate to share a booth with our good friends from Raison Ethique, and blessed with the sunniest and warmest weekend in Port Townsend in 2014! At times, it was almost too warm, and we were grateful for the booth location near the waterfront where at least an occasional sea breeze would cool us slightly.

Participating in a show represented a bit of a departure from our normal way of doing things only through the Internet, so we went without a expectations ahead of time... and ended up pleasantly surprised.

It was lovely to meet quite a few of our supporters, as well a numerous new fans who got to see Alchemy Stones for the first time. The event was quite well attended, and we were quite happy with the final results.

We'd like to thank everyone who showed up, and we hope to see you again at future events!

Showtime! 2014 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival

This weekend-- Saturday and Sunday, September 6th & 7th-- Alchemy Stones will be "on the road."

But we are not going very far. We will be sharing a booth with our friends from Raison Éthique at the "Crafts by the Dock" arts & crafts vendor's market that takes place during Port Townsend's annual Wooden Boat Festival.

The arts & crafts area is open from 10:00-6:00 on Saturday, and from 10:00-5:00 on Sunday. Booths are set up on Madison Street by City Hall... Madison is a side street off Water Street, which is Port Townsend's main waterfront avenue.

If you don't feel like fighting the traffic and doing battle for one of the hard-to-find Port Townsend parking spaces, there's a transit bus shuttle service (and free parking) from the Park-and-ride lot behind the Safeway grocery store.

If you live in the area, do stop by and see us! And if you're within driving distance, the Wooden Boat Festival is an interesting and colorful event that draws upwards of 30,000 visitors from the region and around the world... and it not "just about boats." There's food, arts & crafts, music and more!

The weather forecast calls for a bright and sunny weekend, so it's a great opportunity to visit historic Port Townsend.

We have lots of new pieces ready for the show-- many colorful designs; over 300 different to choose from!