5 minute read
MADE IN CORONADO
Rock on
Artist Joe Kane finds positive outlet embellishing stones
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By SAMANTHA BEY AND MARTINA SCHIMITSCHEK
Aphotographer, musician and artist, Joe Kane is most fulfilled when creating things to share. That’s how he got started painting rocks.
A few years ago, he was out with his kids in East County and found some decorated rocks with a message to post on social media when found. He went online and discovered the idea of painting rocks and leaving them for people to find has become a worldwide phenomenon. He decided to try his hand at it. For Kane, rock painting was therapeutic as he was getting ready to retire from the Navy in 2020.
Kane first arrived in Coronado in 1995 with the Navy, where, during a 26-year career, he served as a photojournalist traveling the world. He returned to Coronado in 2006 and has stayed.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Kane has painted, sold and hidden many rocks. He recently sold an 80-pound, egg-shaped rock he had painted like an Easter egg
« Joe Kane paints a rock in his garage, which he converted into a studio where he works on his art and his music.
LESLIE CRAWFORD PHOTOS
JOE KANE
A piece of found wood is decorated with puffy paint and shells.
and displayed in front of his home. But painting is now mainly on the back burner since he started studying music production and sound engineering at Studio West in Rancho Bernardo at the beginning of this year.
Kane also spends a lot of time at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve chronicling native plant species. He took some time out of his busy schedule to talk about his evolving artistic journey, inspiration and motivation.
Q. What drew you to painting rocks?
A. I had never even considered painting really because I was not a painter. But when I looked online, I discovered there’s these groups of rock painters. Almost every town has them. So, I started painting, just simple ones. I got a little obsessed, and now I have a garage full of rocks. It was fun.
I met with a couple of different rock painters and went to a couple of meetups. It started connecting me more to the local community because I was at the point where I was about a year or two out from retirement. I have been deployed so much that I didn’t really know many people. I started meeting people and making connections with people that I would never have run into.
Q. Is that how you go involved with The Kindness Rocks Project, which promotes making and leaving rocks with inspirational messages?
A. Kindness Rocks was started on the East Coast. She (project founder Megan Murphy) put out a message on her page one day and asked if anyone had any interesting rock-painting-related stories. Because of the pandemic, it was all taking place online. I presented my story as a veteran and someone who came to rock painting as sort of art therapy because I have some PTSD. That linked into what she was doing because she worked with veterans groups and AARP and other people that were helping veterans.
LESLIE CRAWFORD
Joe Kane’s studio is filled with shelves of painted rocks, as well as decorated pots and wall art. Kane is a self-taught artist.
LESLIE CRAWFORD
Joe Kane, who retired from the Navy in 2020, now focuses on his creative endeavors. The idea for painting rocks was sparked when he found a decorated stone while on a walk.
Q. You also did a video for the National Day of Unplugging in March. How did you connect with that cause?
A. They contacted me, and it seemed like a good match because doing crafts like rock painting — activities for kids and families — is what they’re all about. I hooked them up with Megan Murphy of the Kindness Rocks Project because that’s a worldwide project. Those two are now collaborating on some things, so that’s pretty fantastic
Q. What is your creative process?
A. When I’m painting, I’ll often start by looking at the rock and see if there’s something its shape or coloring might suggest. And I mostly paint abstract things like mandalas, so I’ll start with a certain color palette or pattern. I work with acrylics and puffy paint. I love exploring different combinations of colors and I also try to work in a series, usually of at least nine, because it can really expand your creativity and force you to think outside the box.
I get a lot of ideas from my travels as a photojournalist. I also really love primitive art, especially cave paintings. Go figure; those are painted on rocks, too! I realized that everywhere I went in the world across every corner of the globe, there are primitive forms of art with strong patterns and color schemes that have so many similarities despite being done by such widely spaced people. For me, in a lot of ways, painting rocks is a connection to the past.
Q. What has art taught you about yourself?
A. That journeys are circular. We often end up where we started, right? In a strange way, that’s been so true for my life. When I was little, I had always wanted to start a bookstore that was also an art gallery with a recording studio in the back. It’s a little bit different than I envisioned it, but I have all that now. Without planning it, I came right back to the start. I just had to travel all over the world to get there.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
A. An early mentor and teacher once
JOE KANE
told me you don’t have to decide the rest of your life. Just find something you’re interested in, and it will lead you to the next step.
Q. How do you spend your perfect day in Coronado?
A. It would always involve a walk on the beach taking photos, a trip to Clayton’s, a lot of time in my studio, and a movie night at my house with some friends watching a classic movie from the ’40s.
You can follow Joe’s artistic pursuits on Instagram and You Tube, @joerockscoronado. ■
Samantha Bey is a freelance writer.
