Rock Painting Hobby Becomes Therapy For SoCal Mom

LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Painting and hiding rocks has blossomed into a favorite past time for many Orange County mothers. For one Los Alamitos mom, it began with a way to entertain her children, but in the six months since she lost her father to cancer Crystal Olney has turned her tiny rock painting habit into a journey of self reflection, art therapy and healing.

She first learned of the rock painting craze over a year ago. Olney was walking with her son at a local park and when they saw a flash of color that caught her eye. Reaching down, she plucked the brightly painted rock and saw the message to join the Facebook group OC Rocks USA.

"I decided at that moment to start painting rocks and hide them to make others smile," Olney told Patch. That desire led her to an undiscovered talent. She's never taken art classes, but found that the miniature format was a natural. She would pencil draw scenes, then meticulously paint whatever comes to mind.

Things changed when she learned of her father's fatal illness. He passed away from a fast and ravaging battle with cancer, leaving Olney distraught and seeking some way to honor his memory.

"I painted my heart out at that time, and I'm still going," she said.

Olney never considered she had such an artistic side dove into painting, hiding the rocks in unusual spaces and even teaching others to paint. Now, it has become a part of her daily life. Olney makes a daily habit of scratching designs on rugged surfaces, first in pencil and then with paint. Her designs range from cancer ribbons to Disney characters and whatever heart-felt whimsy she can come up with, just to see those found-rock smiles.

The OC Rocks group has impacted the Olney household in the most colorful of ways, expanding her community both online and in the real world. The biggest personal surprise has been watching her talent grow, something she never nurtured or studied, painting now is one of the primary focuses of her life. She has hosted rock painting parties and actively engages other parents to join in the happy and healing task of making the world a better place through rock art.

"It's been my positive outlet," she told us. "Painting and hiding rocks makes my day, when people post pictures of the rocks that I had painted."

Now, she and her children take those rocks and place them like tiny Easter eggs all across Orange County, in Long Beach and beyond.

"One of my rocks even made its way to the United Kingdom," she told us. She keeps a long on social media, on her instagram page. "It's been an amazing experience for my whole family."

For more information, or to join in, visit: www.facebook.com/groups/OCROCKSUSA

Photos, courtesy Crystal Olney