Forest Hills Family Spreads Hope And Thanks With Painted Rocks

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Forest Hills resident Alan Kaufman was on his regular morning walk around the neighborhood last week when he stumbled upon a sight that brightened his day in more ways than one.

"It was what I call serendipity," Kaufman, 62, said. "I saw these colorful things lining the front of this really nice house."

A constellation of painted rocks decorated the outside of a brick colonial home at Ascan Avenue and Ingram Street, a makeshift gallery of New York-themed images and uplifting messages. Kaufman, a writer and artist, was so moved that he brought his wife to see the rocks that same afternoon.

What some neighbors are calling the "rock house" started as somewhat of an accident, according to GiGi Malek. Her daughter was home studying for her veterinary school exams last week when Malek suggested they paint rocks to release some stress, an activity that Malek, a realtor and interior designer, did with her children when they were young.

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The mother-daughter duo put their paintbrushes to work and put the finished products outside their home with a hand-painted sign that said to "please leave rocks." Malek said they meant the sign as a gentle admonition to passersby to not take the rocks. Instead, people started leaving their own.

Now their impromptu collection numbers about 40, and new rocks appear each day.

"A rock can be so beautiful, can do so much, and I think, honestly, in this whole COVID crisis, people are appreciating more the simplicity of life," Malek said in a phone interview, using an acronym for the disease caused by the new coronavirus. "I love making things beautiful."

Malek said her favorite rock is the first one she made: a thank-you gesture to essential workers like doctors, postal carriers and UPS delivery workers.

"These are the people that, to me, are the ones that are important and are the ones that are to be revered right now," Malek said.

Highlights of the collection include rocks painted with images of Forest Hills' historic Station Square and the New York City skyline and messages like "just keep swimming" and "you are not alone."

Since discovering the rocks last week, Kaufman has painted and dropped off four of his own, including one reading "be a rock star" that now occupies a plot of prime real estate on Malek's front steps.

His wife, Susan, said they have now made the rock house a regular stop on their afternoon walks.

"We're Jewish, and, in our faith, people leave rocks to honor the dead, but in this case you're leaving rocks to honor the living," she said. "It's so beautifully done and it's bringing the community together."

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