Nebraskans Who Rock

Celebrating Unexpected Talent & Hobbies Across the State

She’s the Michelangelo of Minerals… Picasso of Pebbles…Van Gogh of Gravel…Rembrandt of Rocks… and she’s the inspiration behind this new segment, “Nebraskans Who Rock.”

Meet Joni Barger. Joni says she’s been drawing ever since she could hold a pencil.

While some artists paint portraits, she prefers something more grounded. Quite literally. In 2024, Joni began turning stones into artwork that really rocks.

With one glance, Joni Barger “sees” the exact image she is going to paint.

Her work has been featured in Country Woman Magazine.

Joni never sketches on the rocks.

She just starts painting.

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“I see the image in my mind as

I pick up the rock from the ground. If I see one that could be an animal, I can hardly wait to start painting it.”

Joni can spend anywhere from a few hours to days on a project. She’s painted elephants, alligators and sea turtles! Oh my!

It takes a specific rock to make the sea turtle’s flippers.

She’s donated her work to charity, given away to family members and even sold a stone or two.

When it comes to transforming stones, Joni’s talents might be a little too convincing—especially when she paints snakes.

It turns out Joni isn’t just an artist, she’s a prankster. “I’ve hidden (reptile rocks) in the house and it makes people jump because they look so real. I even paint scales on them which is very time consuming.”

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I get lost in my own little world when I paint

As a little girl, she remembers 4th of July celebrations in Sumner, NE— the carnival rides, the lights, and the spin of the carousel. “We didn’t get very many tickets, but I used all mine on the Merry Go Round.”

That’s when dreams began to swirl in her head. “I had the idea in the back of my mind that someday, I’d be able to carve my own horse. It took me to the age of 28 to finally do that.”

Joni drew her own patterns and “carved away.”

From carving wooden horses to painting stones, Joni’s creativity just keeps rocking along.