• HOME
  • Store
  • Paintings
  • Blog
  • About
Menu

Mark Rogers Art

  • HOME
  • Store
  • Paintings
  • Blog
  • About

BLOG:

THE CRYSTAL MINER: Friendship Bracelets, Fruit Pies, and Pyromorphite

July 8, 2025

“The Crystal Miner” 16x20 Oil on Panel 2025

“Crystal Collectors Series” Painting 7/10

Following his sister’s extraterrestrial abduction and his breakup with the desert sorceress, Orren Mawson found himself alone and lonely. He spent most of his days deep in caves questing for crystals and valuable minerals that he would later trade for horse food, friendship bracelets, and fruit pies. Unfortunately, Orren was friendless. Then one day, amongst the stalactites and bats in the fathomless below, deep within his discontent, Orren met someone luring in the darkness. It was a fellow miner.

This miner was of the rare robotic variety—a machine controlled by a disembodied and elongated human skull brimming with psychological expertise and metaphysical wisdom. The robot miner said it had been waiting for him. The miner guided Orren to a pedestal upon which rested a pyromorphite crystal of exceptional potency. The vibrational resonance emitted by the exquisite crystal was indescribable, and Orren nearly passed out.

Slowly but surely, the crystal’s energy penetrated Orren’s heart, and he felt his spirits lift. His attitude changed, his thoughts became more expansive, and new possibilities began showing themselves. Orren was in charge of his own happiness. He would put himself out there, meet new people, and design the life that he truly wanted.

Orren then produced a friendship bracelet from his pocket and tied it around one of the miner’s metal robot wrists. The miner’s skull clicked its teeth together in appreciation.

Here was the concept drawing from my sketchbook. The two symbols mean: Fate (above) Magick (below)

This is the 7th piece of a 10-painting commission project for which I am thrilled. I am calling the project “The Crystal Collectors.” For each painting, I was given a specific crystal--an actual specimen in a collection--and tasked with creating an entire scene around it. It is a project that is both fun and challenging! 

In Paintings
← 13 SKETCHESMY ART APPEARED IN A MOVIE! →

Greetings Earthlings, and welcome to the my Blog where I write about my paintings…and aliens.


  • June 2026
    • Jun 27, 2026 THE ATTENTION VAMPIRE: and he wears a fanny pack
  • May 2026
    • May 29, 2026 THE MYSTIFIER: cute things, gross things, pickles and toes.....
    • May 14, 2026 THE TROLL FESTIVAL: what's that in the sky? also, fun hats.
  • March 2026
    • Mar 25, 2026 STINK BUG: a girl from the future with a stinky pet
    • Mar 17, 2026 DUEL IN THE DESERT: battle in the astral realm
    • Mar 10, 2026 DRACONIAN RITE OF AGING: what a celebration!
    • Mar 10, 2026 DOOM RAINBOW: all debts are paid!
    • Mar 5, 2026 TUCSON: The Wilensky Exquisite Minerals exhibit at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Gallery
  • January 2026
    • Jan 6, 2026 THE NEW FOLLOWER: his immortal child...that eats gold
  • December 2025
    • Dec 30, 2025 PROGRAMMING THE SKULL: Good times with old friends
    • Dec 19, 2025 A CACHE OF WEAPONS AND GOLD: A LANDSCAPING DISASTER
    • Dec 19, 2025 THE HOT LAVA LAMP: a bad trip for sure
    • Dec 2, 2025 THE INITIATION OF RUDOLPH DARKWOOD: The Mothfather
  • November 2025
    • Nov 11, 2025 THE RESURRECTION POD: A master gardener's mystery
  • October 2025
    • Oct 21, 2025 RITUAL OF TEARS: the summoning of sobs
    • Oct 4, 2025 PRELIMINARY DRAWINGS: Death Priests!
  • September 2025
    • Sep 27, 2025 WILLIAM-OF-THE-WISP: Esoteric knowledge, power, and a million-year-old meteorite.
    • Sep 9, 2025 SUMMONER'S DEPARTURE: leaving the occult for a career in creative writing
  • August 2025
    • Aug 30, 2025 10 TIPS ON HOW TO FORM AN ENERGY PRISM AROUND YOUR BODY
    • Aug 27, 2025 LAMENTATION OF THE SCRIBE: tales from the dungeon
    • Aug 5, 2025 EXCHANGE WITH THE ONION WITCH: Summoner and Scribe Series 6 of 9
  • July 2025
    • Jul 18, 2025 13 SKETCHES
    • Jul 8, 2025 THE CRYSTAL MINER: Friendship Bracelets, Fruit Pies, and Pyromorphite
  • June 2025
    • Jun 4, 2025 MY ART APPEARED IN A MOVIE!
    • Jun 4, 2025 MEDITATION INSTRUCTOR: an exquisite azurite crystal for chill.
  • May 2025
    • May 27, 2025 THE SOUTHWESTERN BELLOWS VOL 1: My first art book is now available for pre-sale!
    • May 17, 2025 The 2025 Greeting Cards are in!!!
    • May 16, 2025 WHAT FOLLOWS THE SCRIBE: Unseen, his new job follows him home.....
    • May 10, 2025 I WAS ABDUCTED BY ALIENS: Ty Walker and the Humanoids Cosmic Country in Fort Wayne
    • May 6, 2025 From Children's Tragedies to Demonic Lore: The Tale Behind "Ill-Begotten Reward"
    • May 4, 2025 10 TIPS FOR ASTRAL PROJECTION
  • April 2025
    • Apr 22, 2025 Alanzo and the Cactus Witch
  • September 2024
    • Sep 27, 2024 ON BEING A SOBER ARTIST
    • Sep 17, 2024 THE SOUTHWESTERN BELLOWS WORLD COMPENDIUM PART 1: Introduction
  • November 2023
    • Nov 19, 2023 UFO/ALIEN BOOKS
  • July 2023
    • Jul 2, 2023 THE TIME I SAW A UFO
  • June 2023
    • Jun 30, 2023 INSPIRATION
  • February 2023
    • Feb 21, 2023 Fort Wayne, Indiana: It’s Not That Bad!
    • Feb 8, 2023 Why I left Portland
  • October 2022
    • Oct 12, 2022 My Process Part 1
  • September 2022
    • Sep 11, 2022 GREETINGS EARTHLINGS