STRANGE HOBBIES

ROCK PAINTING
Mara Ilinca Groșeanu
 How it started
◦ Rock painting began a long time ago when people were still living in caves and they had to hunt to survive
◦ Archaelogists discovered human made marks on vertical stone surfaces which can be considered
”prehistoric rock art “. Most of those remains are found in caves or in rock shelters were prehistoric men
used to live. This type of art is called prehistoric rupestral art
◦ This type of paintings can be found all over the earth in different cultures or religions
◦ The cave-men used to rock-paint strategies for hunting or maps to help them survive

Lascaux cave, France Altamira cave, Spain

 How it became popular
◦ This hobby became popular in 2015 when Megan Murphy, the mother of three
kids, left a rock with a inspirational message on it on a beach in Cape Cod.
After a friend found it, she started a new project Rock Kindness where people
are encouraged to leave painted rocks with inspirational messages behind
◦ Since then it became a viral activity, communities were formed
◦ Keep the treasures you find, or rehide, it’s entirely up to you! There are no
rules regarding what to do if you find a painted rock.
◦ International Drop a Rock Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on July 3,
in which people are encouraged to leave a painted rock in a public space.

https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-art
What do you need?
If you want to paint rocks you need
◦ Flat rocks- the size depends on what painting you want to put on
◦ Acrylic paint or acrylic markers
◦ Thick and thin brushes
◦ A lot of water
◦ Optional: use a sealer to protect the colours/the message, write a personal hashtag and hide the rock

So, it’s simple!

My own experience

◦ I used to have this hobby myself too when i was younger. I started painting rocks when i was 5 years old
and I was at the mountains with some of my friends
◦ One day, i went hiking and we found some gorgeous flat rocks that looked like marble and a couple more
other beautiful rocks. Back at the hut, we were trying to figure out what to do with the rocks and I think
the yougest of us, Irina, said we should paint them. At first, we didn’t agree with her but, because we had
nothing else to do, we gave it a chance and we loved it
◦ It wasn’t only something creative but it was also some precious bonding time and since then it became a
tradition every time we go on holliday
◦ I like this hobby because it is not only a different way to be creative and to express yourself but it’s also
an important activity to stay together , to bond. It is an activity that keeps us together and the age
difference is not important