October 19 Rock restoration

Sunday:  For months now ... maybe longer than that even ... I have known I needed to do a lot of work on the rocks I painted three years ago. They are in very bad shape! Cracked paint! Words gone! Faded and ugly-looking. Completely unacceptable!

Not sure where to begin since there is so much to be done, I started with the simplest "fixes" first. The more complicated ones are going to take a LOT of time and effort. Thankfully, Chris lifted the heaviest rock up to my porch yesterday--that's the one that will take a lot of time to fix--except I decided that I will absolutely NOT design it the way I did before. 

I actually got on YouTube the other day and looked up the process of rock painting. I had done this three years ago too, but now that I see what the outdoors and weather and age can do to painted rocks, I paid closer attention to the tools I should have used. I feel hopeful that I can either restore or renovate or just create new paintings from these rocks that will endure for a longer time.

Why bother doing this at all, you might ask?

Well. I keep going back to that day when young Brendan (just turned 5) and I were talking about the Palm Sunday story while sitting on my front porch. My very small yard had been recently landscaped with beautiful rocks and a pathway. I was telling Brendan about the little children and the crowds shouting "Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest" as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that donkey. The religious leaders were outraged that anyone would address Jesus as Savior and rebuked the people, and called upon Jesus to rebuke them too. But Jesus gave such a beautiful answer to these lawyers and strict law-keepers. He told them if the little children didn't cry out those words THE ROCKS WOULD CRY OUT instead! So then Brendan and I pretended MY rocks were talking too.

Right then and there, the idea came to me. I COULD make these rocks in front of my house SPEAK and bring honor to the Lord right here in my own neighborhood. That's what prompted this whole entire thing!

I now have better paint pens (with brush tips!) AND a much better sealer (more shiny and guaranteed water-proof), so last week I started working on the restoration of my rocks.

This first rock is the major one that must be redone. Here's what I figured out. I used SPRAY paint as the base for the sky and then added acrylic for details. Spray paint cracks like crazy! I had no idea. No more spray paint for my rocks!!! Also, I never liked the lettering on this rock at all. I love the passage of Scripture from Isaiah, but when I re-do this rock, it will just be the mountain scene with perhaps the Scripture on a separate rock next to it. I'm not sure yet.

This rock was actually a total re-do. The original rock was the one I had painted white, and then a faded red cross with words from Romans on it about Christ forgiving our sins. I liked it very much--but again, I had used spray paint for the base coat (white) and it completely cracked and could not even be salvaged. So I decided to make kind of a three-some of rocks: "Grace, Mercy, Peace" will all be together with the FORGIVEN rock above them (kind of).

I may end up redoing this entire rock because I truly hate the lettering--it's too crowded and crooked and ... it's going to have to do for now. It's been out there for three years and didn't crack (because I used better paint). It doesn't set well with me, though ... so I'll probably paint a different one to replace it.

You know what, though? I find that painting these rocks brings me such JOY. I can't even tell you why. Maybe the Lord is just blessing the work of my hands. ?? My neighbors do come by and read them. A lot of the people who comment about them are already believers; but some of them are not. Would you, Lord, speak to these dear folk about Your love for them and save them please?