Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Keep on rocking in the free world
A WOMAN has combined her love for music and painting by hiding rocks emblazoned with the logos of famous bands across the city.
Karen Mitchell began her quirky hobby at the end of August last year, and has even had famous bands sharing pictures of her rocks on their own social media feeds.
Using the name Rocking Dundee, some of Karen’s designs have even gone global after being picked up in New York by a tourist and taken to Melbourne in Florida.
She said she was happy for people to find the rocks and take them as a souvenir or memento, or to leave them somewhere else for others to find.
Karen, who lives in the city centre and works in a library, said:
“I started doing them this time last year after I came back from a holiday in York.
“I noticed one lying about in some stones and thought, ‘That’s a really good idea’, and decided to do it myself.
“I’m a huge music fan with a really eclectic taste. The first one I designed was when John Lydon (Sex Pistols singer Jonny Rotten) was in Dundee for a Q&A session at the Whitehall Theatre.
“I left a couple there with his
Public Image Limited (PIL) logo and then decided just to carry on.
“I started off in Dundee, then
Glasgow, and even went to New
York and left four there.”
Karen, 56, had the opportunity to give one of her rocks to the lead singer of The Divine Comedy,
Neil Hannon, after a gig in
Perthshire.
Neil was delighted to receive the gift and pose for a picture with
Karen and the rock adorned with the band’s logo.
“I’ve had people contact me to say they’ve found a rock or kept them as a souvenir, and explaining they like the band, which is nice,” said Karen.
“A Biffy Clyro fan messaged me on social media saying they wish they had found that one, so it’s getting a bit of interest from the public and music fans.
“The feedback has been really positive and really nice for me.”
Karen has been given help in sourcing materials by her husband
Jim, 58, who takes her for drives to find suitable rocks.
She added: “I like doing it because it’s something sustainable
– there are so many bands and places to put the rocks – and people like to find them, or if they don’t they can just leave them be.”
To see Karen’s creations, search for “Rocking Dundee” on Facebook.