02
Apr

Birth of a Wave

2016/04/02
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Diary of a Rock Balancer :: 

Stone Balance Art created and photographed by Michael Grab — 02 April 2016 — Colorado, USA ::

“I don’t expect you to understand, but I’m glad if you do.”

Further experimentation with yesterday’s “Hybrid Style”.. This one significantly more precise in that the top wave sits essentially above a tic tac toe style arrangement, which is 3 rocks, end to end (vertical), small contacts.. traditional tic tac toe usually requires tiny contacts and biggest rock up top. This essentially combines the whole top section to act like one giant rock. Most of the final adjustments were down low in the T3 section.

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160 Responses
  14. Gail Greaves
    Reply

    Continuing on from my post. We have stopped at an outback river and there they are. They’re also along the dessert tracks obviously where people have spent some time.

  26. Tammy Porath
    Reply

    I would love to know the size of the smallest rock in the middle. Just for an idea of scale. I’m guessing the size of a ping pong ball! This is just amazing!

  39. Art Fabian
    Reply

    It looks like you have found the key to turn off the laws of physics. I’ve always admired these transitory sculptures. I saw a few in Boulder Creek a year or so ago.

  65. Violeta Elena
    Reply

    This composition is so beautiful and relaxing but strong at the same time, I feel my sight and senses can rest on it… Have you ever been to Switzerland? Would be awesome to see some balancing in Aare… Thanks for sharing!

  82. Taylor E Olson
    Reply

    This is one of the most interesting balances I’ve seen from you Michael. The lack of traditional top stone threw me for a loop at first, but I’m quickly falling in love with this one. Thank for all you do, over the past year you inspired me to start balancing and now it’s an integral part of my life. If you’re ever close to southeast Minnesota, let’s shoot the shit a little?

  95. Annie Mac
    Reply

    have never understood how you evolved into the you that you are, only know how your art makes me feel, and that is quite enough, this is so very lovely, as always

  106. Marcelo van Es
    Reply

    And yes I do understand this great art form, because I am trying myself to learn this, just because you gave me the inspiration, thank you so much for being an inspiration for me and so many others, and to bring so much light to this world. Muchas Gracias micheal Grab!

    1. Annie Mac
      Reply

      nope, not fake at all, and if you’ve followed him, since he began, you’ll see exactly how it’s done, and some of his not always successful attempts, until he achieves what he began, always beautiful, always ephemeral

    18. Gravity Glue
      Reply

      Prudhvi Raz Inan Messi i recommend starting by balancing a single rock on one of its tips. also check out the “About” section on my website, specifically the “how?” paragraph. also another good beginning exercise is to forget how it looks and just balance as high as possible. watch out for your toes! :)

    20. Nash Perry
      Reply

      Gravity Glue what i legit dont understand is how to balance a rock on another when it will just fall because if you touch the balanced rock it loses balance. those two little pebbles in the picture, how did you get the big rock to settle on the small ones, much less the other ones to settle on the big on thats balanced on the small pebbles? <--- hope that makes sense >.<

    21. Alex Derler
      Reply

      It all breaks down to how bad you mentality want to make those rocks stand also. It is a different form of meditation and I have realized a lot about my self and humanity through rock stacking. Its crazy the connections you realize after stacking rocks for 10 hours of peace and quietness.

    23. Gravity Glue
      Reply

      Nash Perry that was the puzzle… incredibly unstable, certainly a bit sketchy placing so much counterbalanced stacked weight on top of an extremely narrow 3-rock combination. the key was steady hands and just going for it. sitting necessary. couldnt even splash water on it, well i did but i killed it.

    27. Delfin Canedo
      Reply

      Better put your boots on. And I would start with a single hand sized rock for practice. You might find it clumsy to deal with rocks that are too small. That’s something I learned from the potters wheel. Also, don’t pull your hands away too fast. Relax your fingers first, then move your arms away. (also from pottery) Because I’m familiar with that technique, I noticed Michael doing that in his vids.

    28. Delfin Canedo
      Reply

      Sara Jakubowicz The best doesn’t worry about competition. Even if he gave away all his secrets, only a few (if anyone) could master them and be on his level.

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