Commemorative Stones
Birthday Stone
This was so exciting for me to create! The biggest challenge was finding an authentic African drum. I ended up making it from a tiny jam jar, purchased some fabric from a local African store, and created it in the perfect size. It was also exciting to replicate ancient scrolls containing quotes from the recipients' favorite authors, and reproduce a copy of his mother's tattoo which connects her to her son.
Memorial Stone
This was the first Commemorative Stone I ever created, and I did so with deep reverence. In honor of a young man I had never met, Evan was a patriot in the US Navy. I learned that we shared the same birthdate, though his life was tragically cut short at just 23 years of age. I gained a deep sense of admiration for this talented patriot, and came to see that though his years were few, his contribution to life and family was great.
Gratitude Stone
This Stone was a gift from a kidney recipient to her donor. I found the perfect kidney-shaped rock which coincidentally, doubled as a heart. Honoring this woman's sacrifice in her dedication to saving a life, touched my heart very deeply. Though my client was gifting this to her donor I feel that this was also a gift to the recipient herself. A gift of love. A gift of permanence. A gift of gratitude.
Recovery Stone
In honor of her boyfriends' accomplishment - achieving 20 years of sobriety - this work was commissioned y a woman I had recently gotten to know. She and I spent 5 days together in Sedona, where she personally selected the many crystals that make up part of this story. I incorporated all of those pieces, added the 20-year pin in the center as well as on the back of the Stone. It was a pleasure to design graffiti images and words of inspiration to create this mystical Commemorative Stone.
Relationship Stones
These Stones were a delightful gift from a woman to a new gentleman in her life. What a better way to get to know someone than to ask him a lot of questions! It was such fun to design an actual, working zipline and station the brown on a real rock, providing a 3-dimensional effect. It was also a great joy to find creative ways to represent the ocean incorporating shells and crystals and sparkling reflections.
Relationship Stones
These Stones were a delightful gift from a woman to a new gentleman in her life. What a better way to get to know someone than to ask him a lot of questions! It was such fun to design an actual, working zipline and station the brown bear on a real rock, providing a 3-dimensional effect. It was also a great joy to find creative ways to represent the ocean incorporating shells and crystals and sparkling reflections.
Pickle Stone
This Stone was such an honor to create for the family of a 17 years old boy, whose nickname was "Pickle". Amazing to have found a Stone in the shape of an actual pickle; it was painted yellow to reflect this favorite color, and filled with hobbies and activities he enjoyed in his life. The most fun part of designing this Stone was incorporating both a motorcycle and a quad bike. Behind these bikes, I created a road: half dirt, half tar, so from all angles, there is interest and significance.