Street painting in Arbor Lakes this year was a race against the weather. Everyone chalked beautiful drawings that ranged anywhere from 3D bees and flowers to the genie from Aladdin. I challenged myself by drawing a lady with a veil at a 3/4 face angle. I focused on the roses by drawing each petal with care and meticulous detail. I finished just in time to capture photos. Then we got to experience the beautiful breakdown of our drawings in the rain. This ephemeral nature is what I love the most!
I had the privilege to chalk one of my favorite photographs Anya Anti.
For the Street Painting Festival in Lake Worth, I love recreating inspirational pieces for all to see. I have saved this image for a while now and keep coming back to it. I typically chalk portraits of women with flowers. But this one told a story and held a fantastical element that I could not escape. When I asked Anya if I could chalk the piece I was so pleased when she agreed. I think it is important for artists to collaborate this way and inspire one another.
Here are her inspirational comments about this piece:
“As we got farther and farther away it diminished in size. Finally, it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine. That beautiful, warm, living object looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart. Seeing this has to change a man…” – James Irwin, Apollo 15
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All my life I’ve been fascinated by the wonders and the mysteries of the universe. You can only start trying to comprehend it. The outer space is deep and mysterious. But also dark, empty and hostile. No matter how much it can captivate us and make us want to explore the stars, no matter how soon we might be forced to leave the Earth in search of “more space”, everything and everyone you ever knew is on this little blue marble we call home. – Anya Anti
Its all about the process
My assistant colored the whole background and added stars to the work. I chalked her favorite flower, forget me nots.My chalk box includes Mount Vision, Eternity Arts and Koss chalk pastels
Final Chalk Drawing – 12x12ft
The Breakdown
Sunset after the rain photographed by Shawn D Moss
Lachlan’s favorite snack is goldfish. One of the few words he knows is fish. He loves the fish tank we have and he loves aquariums. Let’s just say the baby is all around fishy! We wanted to create an imaginative piece where his favorite snack comes to life around him.
We had to prime this very slick surface with chalk paint.Close up of the surface. It was very hard to work on.
It rained most of day one but we worked hard the second day to complete the art just in time. I was focused on drawing the 3D face. It was stretched so that made it complex to draw. What my mind wanted to see was not what I was drawing from my grid.
We were able to get some great shots posing on the goldfish box and the fish.
I had to point out the amazing cake from the artists reception. This is one of my favorite festivals. Everyone was so nice and accommodating. The beautiful chalk cake!
“The Men of Earth came to Mars. They came because they were afraid or unafraid, because they were happy or unhappy, because they felt like Pilgrims or did not feel like Pilgrims. There was a reason for each man. They were leaving bad wives or bad towns; they were coming to find something or leave something or get something, to dig up something or bury something or leave something alone. They were coming with small dreams or large dreams or none at all…it was not unusual that the first men were few. The numbers grew steadily in proportion to the census of Earth Men already on Mars. There was comfort in numbers. But the first Lonely Ones had to stand by themselves…”
― Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles
Zach and I created a large 10x20ft mural in Arbor Lakes this past weekend. We enjoyed chalking alongside so many talented people. This image was a compilation of child fairies at different ages. It represents our future son and all the possibilities. And of course it would not have been complete without a little magic.
We had some challenges with the heat, the wind and the rain but we pulled through. After the storm, Zach had to redraw two of the children and I had to touch up the face. We were lucky as most other artists’ pictures were washed away completely.
This festival is amazing and the organizers Nancy and Shawn are wonderful. Kris and and our sponsor Patty were very helpful as well. We could not have had the event without them. I look forward to next year and the arrival of our son!
Chiaha Harvest Fair takes place every year in Rome GA. It is a local festival that strives to support the arts. The proceeds of the event go to scholarships to help art students in the community to succeed. There is live music, vendor booths, and food. There is plenty to do for the whole family. The kids section engages young artists and encourages creativity through activities and crafts. Each vendor booth hosts unique art from people who travel near and far. Learn more about the festival here.
I had the honor to create a large chalk mural for the event along side two other chalk artists. I chose to draw this woman with purple hair and flowers around her. I loved the contrast of green against the purple and felt she was magical.
This was the final drawing.Eternity Arts Chalk was used in the shading of the lips and hair.I adjusted her hair color to have a purple tint.The finished mural was 7x7ft
This year at Chalktoberfest I had the honor to recreate an image of one of my favorite artists Johannes Vermeer. I chose to draw Milkmaid. The contrast of blues and yellows add mystery to this work. I really enjoy how vermeer captures everyday life and makes it intriguing. I was hesitant to do the old masters theme but I am glad that I had the chance to put myself in their shoes for a few days. I found myself wondering how Vermeer would approach the creation of this piece. Did he draw the milkmaid first or the room she is in? Was he cold and sore like I was while drawing on the ground for two days? I really enjoyed mixing my blue pastels to create just the one that would cause her to pop off the ground. I never thought much about the process but recreating it really puts it into perspective. I made sure not to crop out the negative space in the top right. It really evokes the mood in the painting.
I had a wonderful time chalking and an even better time reuniting with my fellow artists. Chalk artists from all over the country came to create old master drawings. We spent the evenings playing games and singing. Chalk art was the glue that brought us all together. It is nice to learn from each other. There are many chalk art masters like Joel Yao, Chris Carlson, Bridget Lyons, and the Chalk Guys. So much talent in one spot.
Zach and I were on the news to introduce the festival.
Images of Marietta Chalktoberfest Chalk Art of Vermeer’s Milkmaid
