When I was a little girl, my father used to put his creative energies toward painting rocks. Sometimes he glued multiple rocks of various sizes together to form a rock sculpture, which he would then meticulously decorate with brightly colored acrylic paints. My favorite creation of his was the turtle, which is still tucked high up on a bookshelf at my parents’ house, away from curious little hands that yearn to play with it. I’ve always loved the turtle’s facial expression, wondering what secrets it’s keeping. It knows stuff.
In addition to sculptures, my father also painted rocks with people’s names on them. My older sister Jodi still proudly uses the rock he painted for her in the early 1970s as a paperweight. When Dad turned seventy last year, my three siblings and I gave him a box of rocks as a birthday present, along with paintbrushes and acrylics so he could rekindle his love of decorating rocks. (Dad, if you’re reading this, I’m still waiting for my “Coree” rock. It’s only been forty-some years since you promised you’d paint one for me, but who’s counting?)
While the summer of 2016 may have been all about Pokémon Go, this summer, people are stepping away from technology as they join in the newest trend made cool again, rock painting. Two separate Facebook pages started by people right here in Coronado are encouraging people of all ages to appreciate the simple beauty of painted rocks. While different, both Facebook pages are making walks around the town even more fun for those lucky people who stumble upon these works of art as well as for those who are still on quests to find painted rocks carefully hidden in the most unlikely of places.
Belle Roche Coronado
The first Facebook page, called Belle Roche Coronado, features photographs of rocks painted by a local military spouse, who, on her Facebook page goes by the name of Belle Roche. Where did the name Belle Roche come from, one might ask? “It’s the French translation of ‘beautiful rock’ so I thought that was the perfect name to use,” says Belle, who asked to go by her artistic name rather than her real name.
Belle explains that her inspiration for rock painting came from the popular Facebook page Coronado Happenings, known locally as “Happenings”. She shares, “Someone had posted that she went somewhere, where she found a painted rock. I never heard anything about it ever again, but it stayed in my mind. I thought it was such a great idea!”
She continues, “I wouldn’t say I’m an artist per se, more of a crafty, Pinterest kind of person. I started looking at pictures on Pinterest, and thought, ‘I could do those!’ I decided to go for it, and after finding some rocks while walking on the beach in Santa Barbara, I was ready.”
For the first set of rocks she painted, Belle hid them around the “island” without signing them. She returned to Coronado Happenings, where she not only shared that she created a Facebook page called Belle Roche Coronado, but also included that she had hidden beautifully decorated rocks around the Crown City.
As she noticed the number of people who began “liking” her posts, Belle became even more motivated to keep painting rocks. “A lot of people are into coloring books these days,” she shares, “and painting the rocks is like my coloring book. It calms me down, and it’s fun. I like seeing the kids find them. It’s hilarious to me that when adults find them, they get just as excited as the kids do.”
Belle’s husband (Mr. Roche?) is a big fan of his wife’s hobby because, according to Belle, “I’m getting my creativity juices flowing without spending money on things for the house.” She is equally enthralled with her rock painting because it’s gotten her back into art, which she had forgotten how much she enjoyed. Another added perk she shares is, “I like that it makes me feel like a part of the community.” When the military takes her family onto to their next adventure, Belle says that the rocks she’s painted will help her feel as if she’s left a little part of herself behind in Coronado.
Meanwhile, before even thinking about the next set of her husband’s military orders, Belle continues painting. Her miniature masterpieces have become so popular that people have suggested she start selling them, but Belle says, “I haven’t started doing that yet.” Belle has had people write to her, asking her to paint rocks to be used as special keepsakes. “A military mom who was moving asked me to paint a rock for each of her three children. She wanted the rocks to have something Coronado-related painted on them, which is what gave me the idea for the Coronado-themed set of rocks,” Belle explains.
In keeping with her desire to connect rock painting with being part of the community, Belle even made an extra special rock for one of the Crown City’s gems. She shares, “I got a request from a woman, whose mother is in her 90s and doesn’t walk around a lot. I painted a rock specifically for her so it could be placed in her yard for her to find.” (Seriously, how sweet is that?)
When Belle posts pictures of her newest painted rocks, sometimes people will reply that they love a particular rock, and beg to know where it’s hidden. While Belle keeps each rock’s location top secret, she has been known to offer a few clues for those who are especially interested. “It’s just fun,” she says. Belle is appreciative that so many people in Coronado have taken an interest in a hobby that has brought her so much joy.
Coronado Rocks
The second rock-painting Facebook page in Coronado is called Coronado Rocks. Started by choral and musical director Linda Kullman, Coronado Rocks is a public group where people can share pictures of rocks that they’ve painted as well as post pictures of painted rocks that they’ve found. This group differs from the Belle Roche Coronado page in that the rocks that are painted aren’t all from the same artist; instead the rocks are painted by the young, old, and everyone in between.
Linda’s inspiration for rock painting came from geocaching, known as being “the world’s largest treasure hunt.” When Linda’s daughter was young, she and her daughter used to search for geocaches together. While her children are now grown, Linda reflects with great fondness how geocaching served as “a great opportunity to spend time together.” As she recently found herself watching some of her friends’ younger children here in Coronado, Linda thought about an activity that would be fun for them without costing a lot of money. That’s when Linda decided that rock painting would provide the perfect entertainment, combining art and adventure!
Painting rocks with the kids was certainly fun and inexpensive, but hiding the rocks became equally amusing for the kids, making them feel like they were on a treasure hunt just like when Linda and her daughter went geocaching together. Linda decided to create the Facebook page as a way of connecting the person who paints and hides each rock with the person who finds that rock. “It’s meaningful to the person who’s painted the rock when someone acknowledges that it has been found. Social media seems to be the perfect place for people to post their pictures and tell their stories about the rocks,” Linda shares.
“My first rock that I painted and hid at Spreckels Park before the first concert-in-the-park was found by one of my choir students from Village Elementary School. Her reaction was really cute,” Linda says.
Like Belle Roche, Linda also uses inexpensive acrylic paints, saying that the idea is to “make people smile” rather than spend a fortune. Linda has purchased rocks at Michael’s and Home Depot. According to Linda, the rocks at Michael’s have a waxy finish, but since she likes her rock canvases as they would be found in nature, she prefers the rocks she purchased at Home Depot. “The rocks that I hide don’t have a glaze on them so if people want to repaint them, they’re welcome to do so,” Linda notes.
With Fourth of July right around the corner, Linda is encouraging members of Coronado Rocks to paint and hide patriotic-themed rocks. She’s hoping that there will be rocks hidden along each block of the parade route so as early-risers make their way to the parade, they’ll find stars and stripes tucked away in plain sight. Linda herself is hoping to paint at least ten rocks for people to find as they celebrate America’s 241st birthday.
Of sharing her love of rock painting with the residents of Coronado, Linda reflects, “It’s a great opportunity for adults and kids to bond together with an activity that everyone can enjoy! Trying to explain to a five year old that he’s going to leave ‘his‘ rock that he painted somewhere so someone else can take it can be a little tricky, but once the kids catch on, it’s amazing witnessing them choosing to hide their rocks.”
Linda says that she would like to see the Coronado Rocks Facebook group expand more over the next few months. “I’d like to start doing themes each month, giving people ideas of things that they can paint. The possibilities are endless!” Linda wants the group to continue to be a positive one, free of politics or opinions. “I want it to be the happy social media group,” she laughs.
It’s only fitting that Linda is the one to lead the Coronado Rocks movement since she, as a choral and musical director, is used to helping others spread joy. Some people have even asked Linda about arranging a community event where people can get together to paint rocks. Linda loves that idea, and is in the process of looking into making arrangements to make that a reality. She encourages people to join the Coronado Rocks Facebook page so they can share pictures of rocks they’ve painted as well as pictures of painted rocks that they’ve found.
In conclusion, if your kids tell you they’re bored this summer, then tell them to grab a paintbrush or to go search for rocks. Remind them to be the reason someone smiles today. They’ll thank you.
