“Rock My World!”
Happy Holidays!
Decorations are up. "HO HO HO HOWLITE."
If you know me, then you know I love everything nature. I do wildlife photography and I’ve been a wildlife artist for as long as I can remember. I’ve written a few nature books and I get out in nature as much as I can. Recently or should I say, about three years ago an old childhood interest reappeared, and I’m back in love with collecting rocks. I just can’t get enough of their beauty and the history behind them. I have rocks of all kinds from all places lining my studio walls, floors, shelves and even the stairs.; all tastefully done of course, or at least I think so, my wife may have her own opinion. My neighbor thinks my studio is one for a Geologist. A subject I dabble in on my own. My space is slowly evolving into a space where I can create, paint, and write surrounded in nature on the inside. As the sign says that hangs in my studio. “Nature is my therapy” and it truly is.
I thought it would be fun to start sharing my rock collection here. I won’t bore you with all of them of course, but let’s start with a few of my favorites. I might add, that I found each and every one of these rocks, I found some on Ebay, a few on Etsy, and even more on Facebook Marketplace. I found a lot at rocks & mineral shows, and Rock Shops, and I’ve traveled great distance for that very special stone I just had to have. I’ve even found a few in garage and estate sales, and yes even in lakes and woods. Some were even given to me as gifts. Please enjoy…
“Don’t take it for “Granite”
when it could be a big pile of “Schist”,
but I think it’s really “Gneiss”.”
It all started when I told my wife I wanted a boulder for the front yard, so I found one I wanted and had it delivered via Semi and placed in our yard with a very large front loader.
2022 Chevy Silverado
The rock was beautiful, but it needed some friends. The truck is for size. The truck weighs approx 5,000lbs the rock’s weight, 7700lbs.
igneous • metamorphic • sedimentary • fossils • minerals
Below you will see my a few of my favorites. I can’t show them all. I literally have 1000’s in all shapes and sizes and weigh in anywhere for a few ounces to a couple tons. A few things I like to do once I add the rock to my collection. I look up its history, its name, its region, its age, and how it came to be. I find all those things fascinating, and I love their natural beauty. Most of what you see are raw specimens with very few are polished and shaped. I prefer the raw beauty, but love the polished look as well, but keep in mind when you polish them you take away some of there natural shape which takes away from their history. I like the natural tumbled look of Lake Huron, or the traveled look of glacier til.
(Photo to the Left: Dallasite Jasper Breccia Freeform with Sphere
((Vancouver Island) Artist - Unknown)
Rock Collection Starter Kit
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Dallasite Jasper Breccia
One of my favorite pieces, found only on the shores of Vancouver Island. This is a finished free form piece weighing around 13lbs.
From the Raven Rock Gallery (Vancouver Island)
Dallasite stones are named after Dallas Road in Victoria, British Columbia and is only found in the Triassic volcanics of Vancouver Island. This pillow basalt was later brecciated and replaced by Epidote. The stone is incredibly rare and unique, and is the unofficial stone of Vancouver Island.
Gowganda Tillite Sculpture
(freeform) by Roger King (2019).
The Gowganda tillite is found primarily in the Great Lakes States is a sedimentary rock that is approximately 2.2 to 2.45 billion years old. Between 20-90 thousand years ago the Laurentide ice sheet (LIS) broke apart the Gowganda Formation near the north shores of the now Lake Huron. While gouging the Great Lakes to existence the LIS helped spread this beautiful rock throughout the Great Lake Region.
GT: Rounded boulders and pebbles of pink granite. Can contain other rocks, in a Fine-grained grey mud matrix (Matrix can be Red, Green (blue), Brown and Black).
Michigan Puddingstone
Sculpture
(freeform) by Roger King (2024).
Puddingstones are also known as jasper conglomerates. Pudding-stones are a type of metamorphic rock that are found in Michigan and are highly sought after for their striking appearance and beautiful contrasting colors. Formed billions of years ago in the channels in Ontario, Canada. They too where brought down by the Laurentide ice sheet (LIS) over 20 million years ago and deposited throughout Michigan’ lakes, streams and farmland.
Chunks or Red/Orange Jasper and Black Chert in a white white quartzite matrix make up the jest of the Michigan Pudding-stone.
Kingston Load
Sculpture
(freeform) by Roger King
(Unsigned - Unknown Date).
Copper, Feldspar, Epidote
and Quartz Sculpture
(freeform) by Roger King (2012).
Sculpture Rock
Stromatolite and Limestone (New Mexico)
