Post by rockpickerforever on Sept 27, 2019 11:18:05 GMT -5
Coming up on Tuesday, Oct 1, 2019. I just received this info in an email from Ken Rogers (Yahoo groups Rock Collecting and Field Trips).
South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society Program: Paintings and Photographs Hidden in Stone with Ken Rogers
Since so many here enjoy "seeing" things in rocks, this could be a fun presentation for anyone in the Los Angeles (Torrance) CA area, or willing to drive there.
Join us at our next monthly meeting on Tuesday October 1st at the Torrance Library Meeting Room at 6:30pm.
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DATE & TIME: Tuesday, October 1, 2019, at 6:30 pm
LOCATION: Torrance Civic Center Library
3301 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503
ADMISSION: FREE, be our guest
PARKING: FREE, in the Civic Center parking lot
southbaylapidaryandmineralsociety.com/
An interesting and intriguing write up about Ken, and what to expect at the presentation:
Paintings & Photographs Discovered in stones
An illustrated presentation by Ken Rogers
Have you ever cut open a mundane stone, and discovered what looks like
an original Ansel Adams photograph or a Claude Monet painting?
(landscapes, faces, animals, people, aquatic scenes, etc.)
Tonight we will be visiting the “Louvre de roches”.
Photographer, artist, rockhound, & previous “spook”, Ken Rogers is constantly searching for beautiful, or whimsical, art as
he cuts chunks of rock, looks at the lapidary work, of others, and, perhaps, just a rock lying on the ground.
Ken came from an artistic family, made up of tailors & florists.
(As a kid, Ken won 1st place in floral arranging, in the local County Fair.)
As a teen, Ken collected stamps, coins, rocks & gems, Baseball cards, comic books
& MAD Magazines. (Ken won an award in a U.N. Stamp design contest.)
In junior & senior high school, Ken followed a science and arts program, where he, also, learned:
(cold lead) type setting & printing; home repair; set building; stage lighting; woodworking; & silversmithing
(Ken created jewelry, using gems from his collection).
Following high school (& with the Draft looming), Ken enlisted in the top secret, U.S. Army Security Agency
(Intelligence “Spooks”). While stationed in Japan, Ken made jewelry, that he sold to the other guys, to send to their
“girl back home”. This money allowed him to buy the new Nikon F camera, & a few lenses. Ken learned & absorbed
enough knowledge of photography, that “Base Photographer”, was added to his other duties.
While in Japan, Ken collected stones, traveled, explored, & photographed, around Japan.
Upon discharge from the Army, Ken returned to L.A., where, to learn more about photography & selling, he took classes and worked
in retail. In each job, he quickly worked his way up to management. This included, Japan's, Seibu Dept. Store, in L.A. (now the Peterson
Automotive Museum). After a few years, Ken left retail, and started working, as a free lance photojournalist, for Time Magazine. Soon,
there after, Ken's clients included most of the world's important magazines & corporations. During this time, Ken, also,
headed a few photo organizations, was a lecturer, publisher, NEA panelist, teacher, and consultant to young photographers, publications,
and government agencies.
When photography went digital, and the industry changed, radically, Ken reluctantly retired
from photography, and returned to some of his earlier loves, including rocks, and jewelry.
Sounds like he has led a very interesting life! If anyone can attend, I suggest you do. Consider this your notification.