Beginning the new “semester” of art classes for my grandkids.  This time we are going in two different directions.  First, we are creating temporary sculptural art from existing materials in the desert, with small, painted gifts for whomever finds it.  Kai went with me this week.

After hiking a ways into the mountains, we selected a nondescript niche off the trail, but not far enough as to remain undiscovered for long.

Then we added a floor of flat rocks.

Followed by two larger elements, a piece of a dead tree, and a large boulder.  This created the basic environment of the shrine.

Then we painted several small rocks from the bed of the wash.  This is something I did for years hiking in the Catalinas.  I would bring a few colors with me and leave a painted rock behind for the next observant hiker.  We left a treasure trove here.

The one Kai is working on here was for himself, not the shrine.  It is, he explained to me, a truthtelling rock.  One side is black, and the other white.  If he flips it, the way it lands will tell him whether you are lying or not.

This is the finished piece, and below are closeups of the individual rocks.  If you look long enough, maybe you will find it!