They catch your eye in unexpected places — by the trunk of a tree, beside a pathway, beside some landmark—bright bits of whimsy hidden in plain sight like leftovers from some gigantic Easter egg hunt.
You pick one up and realize it is actually a painted rock. It may just have a colorful design, may be painted to look like anything from a ladybug to an automobile, or may bear a happy, uplifting message. On the back of the rock you may find the words “Pahrump Rocks,” “Beatty Rocks,” “Amargosa Valley Rocks,” or “Tonopah Rocks.”
These are the work of locals involved in a hobby and movement that has swept the globe in recent years.
Although people have been painting rocks for fun and as a folk art form for many years, the current version is believed to have been begun when Cape Cod resident Megan Murphy started her “Kindness Rocks Project” in 2015. In fact, the rock painting instructions on the Pahrump Rocks Facebook page come straight from Murphy.
Each of the local rock painting groups mentioned has its own Facebook page, with some showing more activity than others.
Sites like Facebook play a significant role in the modern rock painting movement. They allow rock painters to share photos of their rocks, and to see messages and photos from people who have found their rocks and taken them elsewhere in the world. Some painters even post clues online for those who enjoy hunting for the rocks, much like the hobby of geocaching.
For many rock painters a good part of the fun is getting outdoors and finding rocks to paint. Often they find rocks with shapes that suggest the things they might be painted to look like.
For the Beatty Rocks group, socialization is another important part of the hobby. They get together to paint at 10 a.m. every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at the Beatty Senior Center. Though most of the painters are seniors, anyone is welcome to participate, and they frequently have youth involved.
In general, the painted rocks are free for the taking by those who find them, but it is also appreciated when rocks are traded. Locations called “fairy doors” are set up specifically for trading rocks.
Rock painters have to be respectful and get permission to “hide” rocks on private property, and some parks, particularly state and national parks, are off limits.
Sandy Rowe, leader of the Beatty group, says their purpose is “mainly to spread kindness,” and the Pahrump Rocks Facebook page states, “Our goal is simple … to promote random acts of kindness to unsuspecting recipients … whether by painting and dropping off inspirational rocks or some other cool creative way to bring kindness to the world.”
Richard Stephens is a freelance reporter living in Beatty.