Center of Gravity: A Guide to the Practice of Rock Balancing

by Peter Juhl

Rock balancing is a growing art form that uses ordinary rocks to create startling ephemeral sculptures. Artist Peter Juhl tells about how he discovered the magic that could be worked with just a few stones, and how like-minded balancers around the world have found one another, forming a generous and cohesive community. Using photos from well-known balance artists, he illustrates a sampling of popular styles and techniques. The rocks are kept in place by shape, weight and friction No glue, metal rods, photo manipulation, or other artificial means are used. A comprehensive Why and How section first explains the physics behind the art, then gives a detailed tutorial that applies those principles with exercises in real-world balancing. Beginning with the most basic skill, and working up to the more challenging, the tutorial uses plenty of diagrams to illustrate the creation of various styles of balance art.For those who want to take their new interest further, a Beyond the Basics section shows how to create more interesting and compelling work, and how to use photography to capture it. A collection of miscellaneous tips and techniques help to make the creation of this fascinating art easier and more fun. Whether you are new to balancing and want to learn from the ground up, or have some experience and seek to broaden your artistic skills, this book gives you a comprehensive guide and reference to the art of rock balancing.

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2013

Reviews

[Farida · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read- very informative and witty too! I've always been entranced by rock balancing, and now that I have a better understanding of this artform, Im more confident and ready to practice on my own. I look forward to reading more from this author,and would highly recommend this title to anyone wanting to start working with rocks in a new way.

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and very informative. Interesting and gives great detail with pictures and description on how to balance rocks and make it an art form which is can be. Can't wait to get out there and try it.

[Heather Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!

Always enjoyed rock balancing, and this book has helped renew a more natural desire in me and opened my horisins to try out more skills and techniques. Thank you!

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book and how-to from a master of the art. The basic premise, center of gravity, is fairly obvious, but as always, the devil is in the details--and a lot of painstaking preparation. Mr. Juhl shares his experience, gained over years of trial and error. The novice may never achieve some of the mind-bending structures pictured in this book, but with Juhl's tips it looks like even a klutz could make a simple structure in a fairly short time--and, from there, who knows?

[Daniel Lindegaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

good :-)

The book is what it is, a good written about the art of balancing rocks.
No fancy word porn and so.

Are you in to or like to get it to, this can be a good book for the inventory :-)