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!
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
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.
Passion for chalk art was instilled at an early age. As just a high schooler in 2007, I became a chalk artist when I first drew on the sidewalk at the annual SCAD Street Art Festival. I enjoyed all the talent and the fast paced nature of the event. I was privileged to attend art high school Savannah Arts Academy and received extensive training in the visual arts. The program prepared me to attend an art college.
Growing up in Savannah, the influence was all around me. I had dreams of attending SCAD and eventually made those a reality at the Atlanta campus. I traveled back to Savannah each year to participate in the festival. I still do now as an alumni.
In 2011 I took my skills to the streets chalking for local businesses such as The Melting Pot. Zach Herndon and I would chalk for charity events every weekend. We would create large 20-40 ft drawings. Each one had a theatrical theme for the dinner and show. We enjoyed putting the talent to use in this way. All I wanted to do was chalk more. I applied to chalk at the Marietta Chalk Festival hosted by the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. I was super excited for the opportunity.
Peter Pan Drawing at the Melting Pot Atlanta
I was interviewed by the AJC in preparation for the Marietta Chalk Festival coming up this weekend. Here is a snippet from the article by Jon Waterhouse:
Q: What do you like best about chalk art?
A: I like being outdoors and working with an environment rather than just inside in a studio. It’s a lot nicer to be able to share my art and get the exposure and share it with other people. The chalk pastel medium has always been my preference. It’s fun to blend, easy to work with and your hands get dirty.
Q: What’s your favorite part of the process?
A: It’s kind of a rush knowing that I have this certain amount of time that I need to get this art piece done before it rains or whatever. If it rains, I can come back and do it again. There’s this one piece that I did that was for the Melting Pot restaurant on Peachtree Street. They commissioned me to do one for the “Mamma Mia” show at the Fox (Theatre). They have a charity where they have kids come, eat dinner and go to a show at the Fox, so I would draw for that. The “Mamma Mia” one washed away, so I had to come back the next day and draw it again. Each time I drew it, it was a little bit different.
Q: What are you going to be drawing this weekend?
A: I’m drawing a Civil War scene about Kennesaw Mountain. It’s kind of complicated, so you’re going to have to come out and see it. It’s going to be an Atlanta scene, and I’m going to have a phoenix coming out of the flames, so it’s going to be symbolic as well as visual.
I went to the chalk festival expecting it to be small like the one in Savannah but it was so much bigger with professional chalk artists from all over the southeast US. I quickly realized that I was in over my head but it only fueled my passion. I learned that people travel for chalk art and made that my goal. This was only the beginning.
My unfinished drawing ruined by the rain.
The event rained out but I enjoyed chalking with so many talented people and getting introduced to this chalk world. I plan to continue to grow as an artist and chalk every chance I get.
