Chipper Jones was recently inducted to the baseball Hall of Fame. This is very exciting to me because he was one of the star players of my generation; it is awesome to see someone I grew up with and admired be recognized.
Tag: atlanta
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Marietta Chalktoberfest 2016
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
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2015 Year In Review : Jessi & Zach
Jessi started off the year in a new office in Midtown. At Razorfish she worked with clients such as AT&T, Delta and she recently helped to launch the new Bridgestontire.com website. She married her one true love in May and went on the trip of a lifetime; read about our travels on ZachandJessi.com. She participated in her first international chalk festival in Sarasota Florida and created many large pieces throughout the year. She had some framed drawings on display in a local art show, Women Who Rock. She influenced some high school girls through the Women in Technology program by showing them what she does and giving them an intro to web design and agency life.
This was a big year for Zach. He started a new job at HUGE still doing QA and now Jessi and Zach work at competing digital agencies. He now can walk to work with his beautiful wife. Zach married his love on May 2nd and took her away to explore foreign lands. When he got back he went to his 11th summer of Camp Sunshine and helped kids with cancer have an awesome week. Zach officiated 6 weddings this year; that’s a record. He successfully took a course in Front End Web Dev and built Daphne a website. He read all the Mrs.Marvel comic books and is plotting to save the world with his Skybears. Zach chalked his own square and has gained some mad hand-lettering skills. Together we hit the ground running with the Georgia Chalk Artists Guild and hope to go to more festivals in 2016.[/one_half]
Our Travels
We visited Thailand and Cambodia as part of our honeymoon. We hiked over mountains, cycled around an island, washed elephants, rode a plane with a propeller, and made new friends in restaurants and minibuses. Check out all the ways we got around below. Back home we found time to travel too. We both spent time in Austin TX for work. Jessi visited her sister Katie in New London Connecticut and Zach went to New Jersey with work. We participated in chalk festivals in Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida. We spent the end of December and New Years Eve in New York City exploring and seeing family and friends.
Milestones
We got married
May 2, 2015
Zach got a new job!
He finally joined agency life.
We fostered 5 doxies
all adopted through DREAM Dachshund Rescue
A note from Daphne
Do you know how many Daphnes fit into a home? Just one. But I has a lot of friends. This year we’ve had five friends stay with us: Wilbur, Graham, Chauncey, Gambit, and now Willis. They’ve been fun to play with because Maxwell doesn’t like to do back-flips anymore. Today I saw a squirrel. Also, I saw a hawk. That was neat. I love being with my family and chasing balls, do you know what I mean? I can’t wait for the holidays and seeing everyone. -love DaphneDon’t forget to follow Daphne on her blog, Modoxie.com. Also find her on Facebook and Twitter @abarkingdaphne.
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Chalk Demo at Atlanta Streets Alive
Our Georgia Chalk Artists Guild has grown so much in the year that we have been established. This past Sunday we had our very first Mini Pop Up Chalk Festival. Atlanta Streets Alive is an awesome event backed by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and the city of Atlanta. Peachtree street was closed for a long stretch from Midtown to downtown. They had a bicycle parade and the street was open for people to walk, run, bike and play. The event is meant to encourage individuals to get out of their cars and enjoy the city. We were chosen as a vendor and were very excited for the chance to draw on a road that is never free of traffic. Located right next to the Fox theater we were able to hear Broadway singing as we chalked. Here are some of the highlights…
We started by setting up a sign and putting out some chalks. I planned a few large collaborative drawings for audience participation that Zach managed.
I had invited fellow artists Kristen, Adam and Jaimie to do chalk art demos with me. It was their first time chalking and they really enjoyed trying it out.
Kristen drew a cover to her favorite album.
Kristen’s work in progress 
Adam and Jaimie also chalked some nice pieces.
Jaimie’s Jack Skelington 
Adam in the zone. Zach is really great with kids and directing the collaborative pieces. The pop up chalk fest was really about educating the public about using chalk as an art form. Many people were inspired by the process and wanted to chalk.
Chalk artists can be any age 
Paul started the witch drawing and gets the hang of it I kept to my demo most of the time but also got people to help me fill in the orange on the leaf or add some shading.
Marc helps fill in some orange 
We really enjoyed a successful day on Peachtree Street making new friends and sharing the craft with so many people. Keep your eyes peeled for more events in the coming months.
If you’re interested in organizing your own event, please reach out to us and we can help you get started.
Jessi Queen
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Marietta Chalktoberfest 2015
I was featured in the news piece with Fox 5’s Paul Millikan – Skip to 2:54 for Zach and I chalking the Chalktoberfest Logo!
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Maker Faire Atlanta – 3D Chalk Art and Poster Design
This year I was given the opportunity to create the Atlanta Maker Faire poster and t-shirt designs. On top of that I was asked to be included in the event as a 3-D sidewalk chalk artist. I am very happy with the way the designs turned out and had fun trying such a large scale chalk piece.
I always start with sketching. The Maker Faire team was looking for something Atlanta related that also incorporated activities from this year’s makers. I did some research and compiled some words and images that I thought encompassed the idea of making, doing and creating. I then took my sketches and formed them into a composition using tracing paper. I did this several times, tracing and re-tracing until I was satisfied with the design.
I always start with sketching.
