Bored Panda got in touch with Elizabeth Saloka to learn more about her unusual artistic process and how she came to transform everyday stones into playful, pop-culture-inspired creations. She shared with us the story behind her journey and what continues to inspire her work today.
She explained how it all began: “I was born in Korea and adopted and raised in Minnesota. I moved to New York in 2009 and started painting rocks in 2017. The first rock I found was in New Jersey. I saw it on the ground, and it struck me that it looked exactly like a Nokia cellphone from the 2000s. It had a little antenna and a bump in the back for a battery pack. I painted it, and that was it. I became obsessed.”
Looking back, Elizabeth reflected on the deeper reasons behind her connection to this medium: “I didn’t realize it at the time, but in retrospect I now understand there are three reasons I like to paint on rocks.”
The first is accessibility and freedom in creating art without financial pressure: “First, I loved drawing and painting and being crafty as a kid, but art supplies were expensive, so I found it stressful. If a canvas was $25, I would be really afraid of ruining it with bad art. It inhibited my sense of freedom and creativity. Now I find most of my rocks and rubble at construction dump zones. Last year, I bought two crates of marble scraps from a sculptor on Facebook Marketplace for like $10. I think a lot of artists make art out of trash as a way to get around the brutal economics of art. Like, artists are spending so much money on obscenely expensive art supplies and then struggling to sell their work for a rate worth even just the cost of the paint and brushes and materials, let alone time and physical labor. You have to get creative on many levels if you have a limited budget. I think rock painting is often associated with kids because rocks are a free and plentiful canvas, so it's a good medium for kids to learn on. Low-stakes financially for parents.”
Another reason, she told us, is the freedom that comes from working with imperfect materials: “Another reason I like to paint rocks is that they’re an imperfect canvas. Even more right-angled, symmetrical man-made rubble like cinder blocks and bricks are often broken or chipped and never perfectly smooth, so you don’t feel obligated to measure and plan and make everything perfect like you might on a square canvas. You have to freewheel it, which I prefer.”
Finally, she highlighted the durability of the medium as something that shaped her approach from early on: “Finally, I like rocks because they’re sturdy and durable. Growing up, I made drawings on paper, and ended up accidentally tearing them, or they’d get folded or crushed. I don’t do well with delicate materials. Rocks are very forgiving that way.”
