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As is often the case, Mrs. Young's hobby came about as the result of an earlier hobby—a hobby that was shared jointly with her husband, Stanley, and their three children. Truly a family of rockologists, their collections of mineral specimens grew with years as did their interest in mineralogy in all its phases. Suddenly the family circle was broken when death claimed the life of ten-year-old Morris Young.

For a time after the lad's death the family hobby lay dormant. Finally, fully cognizant of the fact that a hobby helps to heal many wounds, Mrs. Young cast about for some new and all-absorbing hobby interest. Not finding anything that seemed to satisfy her present need she again turned to the study of mineralogy and rock collecting. Remembering how much Morris had enjoyed collecting and identifying different rock specimens, Mrs. Young decided to share her knowledge of mineralogy, and the family rock collection, with children, this to be her way of establishing a living memorial to her departed son.

WHEN SCHOOL teachers and leaders of children's groups learned of Mrs. Young's desire to share her hobby they were quick to take advantage of the opportunity to have her show the children her rock specimens and give talks concerning them. For display purposes Mrs. Young had two cases made of lightweight wood with handles for carrying attached to each end. Each case measures twenty-two inches by twelve inches by twelve inches and has four removable shelves, each shelf being a rock board holding twenty to twenty-four specimens. Knowing that the interest of children can only be held a certain length of time, Mrs. Young does not attempt to display all of the rocks at one time, usually taking only three shelves to each case. This gives her about 135 specimens to show and to talk about which, in addition to ten specimens of different rocks in a separate box used as illustrations of the hardness scale in rocks, makes a suitable length program.

After making an explanatory talk about the rocks, Mrs. Young allows the children to examine the specimens closely, which she feels is necessary for them to gain additional knowledge of the rocks. This close examination is done in orderly fashion as each shelf is passed down the rows of children while they are still seated. Later the children are allowed to gather around their "rock teacher" and many and varied are the questions they ask, all of which assures Mrs. Young that they are interested and eager to learn.

Included in Mrs. Young's collection are many fluorescent rocks which, to show up at their best, need to be displayed under a "black" (short wave ultra violet) light. Mrs. Young uses such a light when putting on a program. When this light strikes rocks of certain composition the light causes activity in the action of the particles in the atom, causing them to emit energy which we see as colored light. The light which causes this action is invisible to our eyes, hence the term "black." However, these ultra violet lights do look purple to us as some of the light rays spill over into the visible purple color of the spectrum. Not too much is known as to the exact reason for this property of some rocks, but it is considered that a bit of some other substance in a rock is the activating factor. Thus calcite, not fluorescent when alone, becomes fluorescent when it contains a trace of manganese.

The thought occurred to Mrs. Young that if she could devise a way to make designs or pictures from small pieces of the fluorescent rocks and show them under the black light, they would be a colorful and interesting addition to her program. After a period of experimentation she found a satisfactory way to do that very thing. Much to her surprise she found she could crush these rocks into tiny bits quite easily. On a piece of paper Mrs. Young spread glue in the shape of a butterfly, measuring about two by three inches. Onto the glue she scattered the crushed rock. Delighted with the effect when the rock butterfly was shown under the light, she made two more butterflies before using them for display purposes. These gleaming pictures illustrated to the children the effect of the black light on rocks much better than when shown only on the rock specimens.

The making of those three butterflies started Mrs. Young on her present hobby of making rock pictures. She reasoned, quite logically, that if she could make such designs as butterflies she could also make pictures suitable for framing. In the spring of 1950 she made her first large picture. Since then she has made and sold many of these rock pictures and could sell many more if she had more free time to devote to her hobby.

MRS. YOUNG developed her own technique for making rock pictures and as is the case with any craft that is self taught, many hours of experimentation were necessary before a measure of perfection could be achieved.

Preparation of the rocks for picture making purposes is quite a time-consuming job; each different colored rock has to be crushed into almost dust-like particles before it is ready for use. For this purpose Mrs. Young uses a heavy metal mortar and pestle such as was used by gold miners before modern methods replaced such implements. The rock is first given a blow with the pestle to break it into quite small pieces; then, using a stirring motion, she crushes the pieces into particles. She then sifts the crushed rock through a tea strainer to remove any pieces that stubbornly remain uncrushed. While only a small amount of the crushed rock is needed for each picture, Mrs. Young finds it advantageous to prepare quite a quantity at a time, storing the separate colors in cardboard containers.

The scale by which the hardness of rock is measured ranges from gypsum (No. 1) to diamond (No. 10). Some rocks are soft enough that particles of dust can be scraped from them with a knife while others are so extremely hard that even the mortar and pestle method will not crush them. In order to obtain some much wanted color, Mrs. Young has crushed rock as hard as that which is classified as No. 7.

Sometimes in viewing a picture having many different colors, a customer asks Mrs. Young what method she uses to make the different colors, to which she answers that no coloring agent of any kind has been added. Those who are unfamiliar with mineralogy do not realize the wide range of colors that are to be found in rocks. Mrs. Young obtains such colors as green from malachite, one of the ores of copper, blue from azurite (sometimes called blue bice), red from cinnabar, yellows from sulphur and orpiment, white from calcite and gypsum, and black from manganese. Shades of gray and brown are to be found in a variety of ordinary rocks. With this assortment of colors at hand it is not difficult for her to produce many varied hues.

"The only animal pictures I ever made from rock were of my two pet cats," says Mrs. Young. "The cats look alike but are much different in disposition so I tried to make the pictures with their dispositions showing. I found it such a difficult job that I have never attempted any similar pictures. Landscapes are much easier and since I live in a locality that abounds with much scenic beauty I never lack for beautiful and colorful scenes to put on canvas."

Only a short distance from Mrs. Young's home famed Pikes Peak looms high. Also close by is the Garden of the Gods with its vivid colored cathedral-like spires. Few artists can resist such picturesque scenes and though Mrs. Young uses a different medium than most artists use, she too, finds them irresistible. The familiarity of these scenes to her may account for her ability to capture their beauty in a very realistic manner. At any rate she is able to create most natural color effects since much of the crushed rock she uses has been made from rocks obtained in the area of these particular scenes.

Mrs. Young made her first pictures on Masonite or plywood. Later she found artist's canvas stretched over heavy cardboard to be more satisfactory. The canvas is cut about 1½ inches larger than the cardboard and is stretched slightly as she brings the edges to the back and fastens them securely with gummed tape.

LITTLE EQUIPMENT is needed in making rock pictures, Mrs. Young points out. Needed are only an ordinary small-size varnish brush, an artist's brush (small size), and a teaspoon. Material needed, in addition to the cardboard, canvas and crushed rock already mentioned, is an adhesive base to be spread onto the canvas just before applying the crushed rock. After experimenting with several different substances for this purpose, Mrs. Young found clear varnish to be the least expensive and most suitable in every way.

With her equipment and materials assembled on a worktable, Mrs. Young lightly sketches the outline of the landscape on the canvas. Since it is important that all parts of the canvas to be covered with crushed rock are thoroughly coated, she brushes on the varnish both up and down and crosswise of the material. The varnish should not be put on a very large area at one time since if it should become dry before the crushed rock is applied some of the adhesive qualities are lost and the picture will be neither durable nor attractive. While the varnish should be applied generously it should be spread evenly, yet not so heavily that it will run after the rock is applied. To do so would result in a distorted picture.

Beginning at the top of the picture, Mrs. Young first makes the sky. Just as an artist blends different oil paints to achieve the desired colors, so does Mrs. Young mix the crushed rock to obtain the proper shades. A small amount of azurite is added to calcite to make sky-blue; white scattered cloud effects are achieved by using white (calcite or gypsum) alone.

The technique used by Mrs. Young to create rock pictures is quite different than that used in painting but with a little practice is easily mastered. The crushed rock is distributed over the varnish-covered canvas with a teaspoon, such different shades being used as the landscape calls for. When completed, the entire surface of the canvas has a covering of the crushed rock. Sometimes a small area may accidentally be missed when applying the varnish. If this happens the situation can be remedied by retouching the place with varnish applied with the small artist's brush, adding the needed shades of rock.

In creating rock pictures the blending of colors and an even distribution of the crushed rock calls for an artistic eye and a steady hand but Mrs. Young asserts that this need not discourage one from trying this fascinating art. A beginner's first efforts may not be entirely satisfactory but all craftsmen should remember that no skill or hobby is learned without a period of trial and error.

After Mrs. Young completes a picture she sets it aside to dry a day or two before putting it in a frame. Ordinarily she does not give the picture a finished coat of clear shellac but occasionally a customer prefers to have this done, thinking the picture thus treated will withstand soil better. However, in either case the picture can easily and safely be cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth or dusting with a soft brush. Mother Nature has embedded colors in rocks that never fade; therefore, no amount of light or washing will change the original coloring of these rock pictures.

MRS. YOUNG makes the canvas back rock pictures in sizes ranging from twelve by fourteen to fourteen by twenty-two inches. She sells these for $25 to $40 each, the prices varying according to size and amount of time spent in making them. These prices include frames which are made of ridged plywood or redwood. The frames are sometimes made by Mr. Young but since his duties as a painting and decorating contractor leave him little time for such work, Mrs. Young usually has them made by a carpenter. If a customer wishes to purchase a picture without a frame she deducts $5 from the selling price. Not including the time spent in gathering and crushing the rock, Mrs. Young estimates it takes her about eight hours to complete a medium size picture.

In addition to making rock pictures on canvas, Mrs. Young makes what she quite appropriately calls "rock on rock pictures." These pictures are made on irregular shaped slabs of shale. Such rock is made up of uneven lamina or layers, some layers being broken and extending over only a portion of the surface of the slab. By taking advantage of these natural ridges, Mrs. Young is able to create with crushed rock very realistic mountain scenes. No frames are used for the rock on rock pictures; instead she leaves, in natural color, a narrow border around the edge of the slab, which gives the picture a neat, frame-like appearance. Mrs. Young uses the same method to apply the varnish and crushed rock onto the slabs as she uses when making pictures on canvas. The slab pictures, averaging about eight by ten inches in size, are fitted with spring-type metal plate hangers. The price of $3 each makes these unique pictures one of her best selling numbers.

The material needed for making rock pictures is inexpensive. A yard of artist's canvas can be purchased for $2.50 and is enough to make the foundation for several pictures. Varnish need not be of extra high quality and can be bought for fifty cents a pint, an amount sufficient to make quite a number of pictures. Plate hangers (used on the slab-pictures) cost twenty-five cents each. Prices of rock, suitable for picture making purposes, vary greatly. However, since a small rock, when crushed, yields considerable picture making material even higher priced rocks are relatively inexpensive. Cinnabar (red) costs $2.50 for a piece roughly about the size of a baseball while azurite (blue) costs about twenty-five cents for a nodule the size of a walnut. Many of these bright color rock particles are mixed with gypsum which is less expensive.

"Rocks for picture making purposes may be obtained in different ways," says Mrs. Young. "As for myself I enjoy nothing more than to search for my own whenever I am on a picnic or similar outing with family and friends, and, strange as it may seem, in almost any location rocks of one kind or another are to be found—that is, if you are enough of a 'rock hound' to be on the alert and watch for them." Rock collectors often have extra rocks that can be obtained at little or no cost. Most large towns have rock stores with a wide range of colors to choose from. If no such store is to be found in your locality, visit your public library and see if they do not have a rock and mineral publication from which you can obtain addresses of rock stores located in various points in the United States and foreign countries. Usually such stores issue price lists or catalogs for mail order customers.

The official Journal of the Rocks and Minerals Association, Rocks & Minerals, Box 29, Peekskill, New York, is a reliable publication that has a large assortment of advertisements of rocks and minerals of all types, as well as a wealth of information for rock collectors and craftsmen. It also has listings of those who wish to exchange specimens. Mineral Notes and News, P. O. Box 204, Ridgecrest, California, is the official publication of the California and the American Federations and it, too, provides one with information concerning where rocks may be purchased.

AS AN active member of the Colorado Springs Mineralogical society, Mrs. Young is frequently asked to give talks on mineralogy and show her rock collection and pictures before such organizations as garden and women's clubs, P.-T.A's, and church and college groups. This affords her an excellent opportunity to let it be known that her pictures are for sale. Many sales which might not come to her through her home studio are made in this way. Having one of her pictures hung in the El Paso Artists juried show at the Fine Art Center in Colorado Springs and another at the Blossom Time Festival at Canon City, brought not only honor to Mrs. Young but gave her artistic work still further publicity, as did her exhibit at a recent hobby show in Denver. Because she does not wish to commercialize on her hobby to the extent it would crowd out her work with children, Mrs. Young is finding such advertising methods, as well as word-of-mouth advertising, bring her all the business she wants at present. Sometime in the future, when Mr. Young retires from his present job, the Youngs plan to start up a rock store. When such a time comes Mrs. Young's rock pictures will, of course, be featured prominently in the store.