Rock On

Story/Video posted April 22, 2019 in Arts & Entertainment by Taylor Harris.


A simple addition to a Rock Group on Facebook turned into a lifelong hobby.

65-year-old Linda Gibble from Lebanon, Pennsylvania is a retired seamstress. She found herself not having much to do other than watching her four grandchildren. The 'hobby' of watching grandchildren became hard to keep up with and something that mentally exhausted Gibble.

TGluZGEgR2liYmxlIHBhaW50ZWQgdGhlc2Ugcm9ja3MgZHVyaW5nIHRoZSBtb250aCBiZWZvcmUgUGVubiBTdGF0ZSBjb21tZW5jZW1lbnQuGibble received an invite from a family member to "PA Rocks," a Facebook Group. Little did Gibble know, the group would turn her life around for the better. 

Shortly after the invite to PA Rocks, Gibble went around her hometown looking for rocks to paint, sometimes even snatching them from her daughter’s house. Gibble’s daughter, Camisha Harris, noticed rocks missing from her yard and could only laugh about it. It’s a joke that now flows around the family from time to time.

“Over a period of time, I noticed rocks missing,” Harris said. “I didn’t realize how sneaky my mom was going to be, but I thought it was so funny mainly because I didn’t notice she was taking rocks from my house for a few months.”

A light sparked inside Gibble’s head. That light became an act of kindness. Gibble’s goal with her rock painting is to spread kindness everywhere. She enjoys being able to make people smile, even if it’s just by finding one of her rocks.

“You show your kindness to anyone, young and old,” Gibble said.

The process of this rock painting is pretty simple: paint and hide. Once someone finds Gibble’s rock, they will typically post it on the Facebook page based on the directions on the back of the rock she writes.

Gibble takes rocks with her anytime she leaves her house. One of the 1,000+ rocks she painted even ended up on Oregon. Those who find the rocks have the option of either keeping them or re-hiding them.

For more information about "PA Rocks," visit their Facebook page. It's a private group, but anyone is welcome to join. Happy Painting!

 

Video: How to paint rocks
 


Choosing the right paint and sealant are important for rock painters.

 

Video: Choosing subjects for rock painting

Linda Gibble says she paints rocks on request for friends and relatives.

 

Photo Gallery: Rock portraits

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Linda Gibble's husband has had chickens for years and they have become a popular subject for rocks. Photo by Linda Gibble

 

Holidays are one of Gibble's favorite subjects to paint. They call for a variety of different themes. Photo by Linda Gibble.

 

Gibble enjoys paining portratis of dogs, especially dogs in her family. Photo by Linda Gibble. 

 

State College is a common place for Gibble to travel to, and the Penn State rocks have been a huge hit. Photo by Linda Gibble.