Mandala Rock Art - Beautiful Painted Stones

I would like to show you some painted stones I've done not so long ago. A bit of introduction first.

Me and my girlfriend would sometimes go "rock hunting" when going on walks in various spots across the countryside. We'd pick up whatever stone seems interesting but the rarest finds are the symmetrical ones. Their shapes are molded by both erosion and the flow of water, so it's typical to find them in river beds or alongside the sea shore.

The round ones are great for mandala paintings. Mandala in art is basically a symmetrical complex shape, usually round with a clear and defined center from where the design is build upon. They differ a lot from the original mandala designs and the most common mine have with said original mandalas is probably their name. Still. I find it enjoyable and satisfying to draw and paint and similar paintings on stone are called "mandala stones" over the internet so I go with it.

And now it's well time I put some pictures in here.

• The first stone I ever sold - come to think of it - the first sale of any of my artworks and so it gets the first spot:
  
• This little fellow is still collecting dust, still waiting for his new owner, and by little fellow I mean 2.5 kg old river stone:
  
• Thought of Marigold and made this one:
  
• This stone's shape was too nice to not just go with it:
  
• Small but deadly - 5 cm in diameter but almost 500 grams!
  
• My first ever attempt at the stone mandala thing:
  
• Not really round, it's actually flat, but found it quite interesting, so here it is:
  
• Somehow this constellation stone pic made it's way into the mandala folder. Decided to share it anyway. Got a whole set of constellation stones than I'll share later:
  
• Round, good-sized, lightweight - just perfect:
  
• Tried painting it without underlayers of gesso because the surface was quite polished:
  

They are all finished by layers of glossy varnish. So they are nice and shiny - "just the way that Tamatoa guy from Moana likes them" shiny.

Thank you all for viewing this and I'd be glad to talk to you in the comments.