The forecast was not good. Rain, wind, and thunderstorms. Gloomy weather was with us all weekend, but we made it through. It was windy all weekend, and we had a short period of showers from 9 - 10 am on Saturday morning. We were all raring to go, and it was hard to stand around and wait. Most of us had plastic to cover, and the rain was light enough that we were able to uncover and start working fairly quickly.
Plastic and folding chairs save the day.
End of day on Saturday.
My piece, an original composition of a three headed dragon coming up out of a hole in the ground, was my largest piece yet at this event (10' x 20'). It was also a first for a 3D piece for me at this event. I usually do much more traditional work.
View from the opposite direction.
Carmen working on Sunday.
Carmen was able to participate this year, at the last minute. She choose to do a Bouguereau on an area that was about 6' x 8'. She didn't finish, but it was beautiful none the less, and was a big crowd pleaser.
Cheryl and Wayne Renshaw brought a three headed dragon puppet, which looks like lunch in this photo.
I actually finished earlier than I thought I would. I was worried I couldn't finish it by myself, but I was done by about 2pm on Sunday (total of 16 hours work).
The crowds were often lined up to take pictures and view the art from the "sweet spot". I often heard comments from the crowd that this art would make an awesome tattoo and that I should be a tattoo artist. Maybe someday - you never know. If you had told me I would be chalking the streets at age 50 for a living when I was 20, I would have thought you were nuts.
Here is the video - Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Art) by Craig Houdeshell:
I chose to do this picture by J. C. Leyendecker from a Saturday Evening Post magazine cover from the 20's. I loved the colors and at 8' x 10' it was a crowd pleaser.
Carmen did her own art - a Bouguereau reproduction (see below), and was the only "kid" included in the featured artists area.
Chalking at this three day event started off rather chilly and windy - making the temperature feel like it was in the high 30's. It slowly warmed up over the next three days and so did the crowds.
This is my largest piece to date - 12' x 12', and was done on an area of both concrete and asphalt. It incorporates kissing cherubs from a Bouguereau painting and the pink and green Lilly Pulitzer print around the border, that was designed specifically for the 25th anniversary of Artigras.
Weather was pretty good all weekend at Midtown on PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens. The event was from 10 am - 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday. I got started around 9 am, but had some trouble getting my tempera base to dry. Recent rains and no direct sun made the asphalt "moist". A hairdryer was brought in to complete the drying process, so the template could be implemented. It was nice to be in the shade all day, though, for a change. I was positioned in front of the Marble Slab Ice Cream Store, so there was plenty of foot traffic. I finished the piece around 3pm on Sunday.
Great weather made for great chalking at Downtown Disney this past weekend. I chalked all day Friday and Saturday and did some touch up on Sunday before the judging. Carmen and I received our Semplice Professional Designation Certificate from the Florida Chalk Artists Association. Unfortunately, Carmen couldn't attend this year, since she was sick recently and missed too much school.
Even though it was much cooler in Orlando than it has been here in North Palm Beach lately, it was still hot in the middle of the day, reaching the low 80's, and I was in the full sun the whole time. I was over near a fountain, rather than in the main area, so it was a little quieter, but the muzak that Disney pipes in drove me crazy! They looped the same hour long tape over and over and over again. Even my MP3 player couldn't drown it out.
The piece I did solo this year was "Work Interupted (Penelope)" by William Bouguereau . It was 7' x 9' on concrete, which was very rough in spots. It was done directly on the concrete, no tempera base, which had a lot of shell in it, making coverage difficult. We weren't allowed to bring any "shade" with us, either. There was a lot of great art, and the high school teams really did a great job.
I actually finished earlier than I thought I would. I was worried I couldn't finish it by myself, but I was done by about 2pm on Sunday (total of 16 hours work).
The crowds were often lined up to take pictures and view the art from the "sweet spot". I often heard comments from the crowd that this art would make an awesome tattoo and that I should be a tattoo artist. Maybe someday - you never know. If you had told me I would be chalking the streets at age 50 for a living when I was 20, I would have thought you were nuts.
