Meet Oak Harbor's 7-year-old rock star, whose work earns smiles and a Girl Scout badge
OAK HARBOR ― Lucy Briggs is a rock star.
The 7-year-old has been spreading cheer around the village by hiding hand-painted rocks in stores, at school, at the library and anywhere else they might bring a smile to strangers.
“I want to make people feel joyful,” she said.
Lucy was inspired to hide rocks after discovering a rock painted like a ladybug at Crane Creek. Later, she found a rock painted with a duck at Nickel Plate Beach.
“I felt really happy,” she said.
Lucy posted the ladybug rock on Facebook and hid it again at a local ice cream shop. Lucy’s grandmother, Jan “Gran Janny” Zipfel, suggested they look for flat rocks to paint. They searched for rocks on Kelleys Island and plucked them from a friend’s landscape. Then she started painting.
“I did a 'Grinch' and gingerbread girl and a Christmas M&M and a candy cane,” Lucy said.
Rocks are hidden around Oak Harbor
Lucy’s mom, Cleah Briggs, wrote instructions on the back of the rocks asking people who find them to snap a photo of themselves with the rock, contact her through Facebook Messenger and then hide them again for someone else to find. Lucy hid one rock at Community Markets, another at Kozy Korners and still others around town.
“We wanted to see how many people we know would find them,” Cleah said.
Rocks were found by several people, including an assistant principal and teachers.
“They’re all still out there. I know there’s one at RC Waters,” Cleah said. “If you find one, we want to see a photo of you with it.”
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Girl earns her Girl Scout badge for painting rocks
In addition to spreading joy through the project, Lucy earned a Girl Scout badge for rock painting. It was the perfect project for her because she enjoys being creative.
“She’s always been very, very artistic, whether it’s drawing, painting or Playdough. When I signed her up for kindergarten, she said, ‘I get to take a whole class in art,’” Cleah said. “She draws a lot of pictures and gives them away.”
Lucy said she likes to “do a lot of coloring.”
“I color with markers and crayons and colored pencils,” she said. “I like to do a lot of flowers and apples because they’re my favorite fruit.”
Thanks to a special Christmas gift, Lucy can create more than ever.
“I got a big art kit for Christmas,” she said. “I want to be a painting artist when I grow up.”
Lucy commandeered her mom’s dining room and made it her art studio.
“The dining room table is basically her table. It’s always filled with art stuff,” Cleah said.
Cleah doesn’t mind. Artists need space to create.
“I have so much craft stuff I can make in my brain,” Lucy said.
Email correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: In Ohio village, 7-year-old's hand-painted art makes her a rock star
