WORKING WITH PICTURE ROCK
Grandma Moses was a famous artist. Her technique was known as “primitive,” but everyone recognized beauty in this basic form. Grandma Moses has gone from the scene but there is another artist even more eternal and whose masterpieces are everyday finds. All too often these discoveries are relegated to the “novelty” classification. The artist in question is nature itself, and who will deny the great beauties to be found here? In the realm of the lapidary, for example, we find picture rock, apparently containing desert scenes, seascapes, portraits, abstracts and imagery of every description. From Oregon the famed Bigg’s picture rock is recognized for its magnificent and easy-to-see variety of colors and lines. A single slab of this material has been converted to a dozen or so cabochons, each a miniature representation beyond the skill of most artists, but available to every rockhound for just a few dollars if he uses a “silver pick” to collect material. However, with a little patience and luck, he can make his own discoveries. The Owyhee rock has a lovely blue variety, and some of the scenes are so attractive that many lapidary fans place pieces of this material in small picture frames. In some instances, with a lacquer, but most of the cabochon or square shaped rocks are finished to a high lustre by grinding, sanding and polishing. Geodes and nodules, when cut open, reveal everything from solidified mud to glorious crystals, often in unique form. Geodes come in varying shapes and sizes, but the true difference appears when the saw cuts through the sphere. You may discover solids with tonal ranges depicting subjects usually seen only by those involved with hallucinogens. It is not unusual to find ghosts, clowns, animals, scenes of moonscape animation and visual representations that with almost concealed dendrites are among the most attractive. Montana agate has been featured in displays for many years. Much of this material, especially the prime agate with lovely scenes, appears to be more difficult to obtain, but no one can tell what is present in the slab beyond the slab just cut. Recently while wearing a cabochon made from material taken from the Prineville, Oregon area, a novice lapidary, enraptured by the scene displayed on an item of lapidary jewelry took a close look. When the scenes are so realistic that anyone can recognize them, a non-collector may justifiably think a picture has been painted. The shock and surprise on his or her face always pays for the time spent in explaining that this is a natural scene, made by a fortuitous arrangement of minerals. People collect rocks of all descriptions. There are those who convert an original stone to a manenhanced product. Transparent gemstones are often produced by hours of labor in which a faceter will completely convert rough to gleaming material. The rockhound whose specialty is picture rock is a fortunate individual. All that is required is the ability to recognize a scene. Something that may have taken millions of years to create can be placed on displays with the knowledge that it will be preserved through eternity.
DISCOVERY OF DYNAMIC VEINS
Then the rancher discovered the veins continued on up the highway slopes across the fence line onto a part of his ranch. But it was several years before Dormaier, who was operating a 6,000-acre wheat and cattle ranch with overtones of the production of race horses, caught the rock fever and began disposing of the ranch holdings he had operated for 40 years to spend more time with his picture rocks.
With his wheat and pastureland down to about 2,000 acre, including
the sites for his two mines, one for picture rock and the other for agate, he set up a rock shop up the canyon at Wasco. Born on a wheat ranch near Wheeler, Washington, Dormaier has been a rancher for most of his life. For one seven-year interval he was a road superintendent for the U.S. Department of Interior on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. During the war he was an equipment instructor in the Vancouver shipyards. But the rest of the time he has been a rancher. So, why did this jasper so inspire his enthusiasm? “anywhere with such pictures,” he declared.“Cut and polished, it’s really beautiful.” Dormier said geologists have told him his jaspers were originally volcanic muds that solidified and were infiltrated with minerals in solution.
When the rancher and former road superintendent got into the rock business, he decided to do it with heavy equipment to make possible largely a one-man operation for mining, cutting and polishing — and he is that man. Most of his jasper is sold uncut except for cuts to determine the picture quality.
In winter he works mostly at his mines and in making shipments of rocks in burlap sacks from his stockpile at Wasco, largely to dealers and jewelers. During the tourist season, Fred is at his shop and store handling cutting and polishing between customers. His shop inventory includes seven rock saws.
By the use of modern heavy equipment, he said he is able to keep the cost of his shipments as low as 10 cents a pound, with the best specimens having proven patterns running as high as $5. He has customers in “about one-half of the States in the Union, and in quite an area of Canada. Recently, I have shipped rocks to Japan and Germany, and the other day to Sweden.”
In addition to his picture rock mine alongside the highway, Dormaier takes agate from his China Hollow mine, moving his power equipment between the two locations.
But even while examining a choice gem in his new role as a rock connoisseur, Dormaier still has the weathered look of a stockman and rancher. He retains his enthusiasm for western attire, including Stetson hats, and a collection of cowboy boots, one pair with silver and gold trim.