What's worse - being ignored or being attacked?

As a street painter, we learn quickly to adapt to changing conditions (weather, surface, materials, etc.).  We understand that those are things that make every experience different.  But there are other conditions that we deal with that have to do with human behavior.

Here is a link to a video interview with a local TV station about the damage a local group did to my chalk art at the Lake Worth Street Painting Festival in 2013.  The group, which I will not name, did not like the subject matter in the art, which was chosen by the state of Florida for the Viva Florida 500 poster. 

I was heckled, and then when I was done and took a break, they made noise, threw flyers around and then splattered the art with fake blood.  When the local deputy on duty was notified of this, they said the art was "worthless" and it was a public street, so nothing could be done. 

Really.  Worthless?  It was bad enough to have someone ignore the 2 1/2 days of work I voluntarily donated to the event, and the beauty of the art, but then to have the sheriff act as judge and jury and pass judgement, was heartbreaking.

Hopefully, we can educate the public about street painting as an art form.

Chalking with the Locals in Buffalo

This was my second time chalking in Buffalo, but the first time working with local artists.  Marie Verger, the organizational force behind the festival, was able to encourage two artists to participate.  Jenny Wuerker, a landscape painter with a gallery in town, and Steve Heil, the local high school art teacher, were my assistants for the day, and did a fantastic job!

Jenny Wuerker, Jennifer Chaparro, lead artist, and Steve Heil.

We started at 8:00 am in the morning.  It took about an hour and a half to get the art set up and the tempera paint down, and transfer the design with the template.  Here is Steve getting the tempera down with a roller.  I was sweating already, as temperatures were in the mid 80's before 10 am.

Steve finishes up the tempera layer.

We were making pretty good time, until about 1:30pm, and the rain started.  We watched it come in, and had two tents up, but had to scramble to get the plastic and tarp down over the art.  At first, it looked like it would be a minor shower, and then move on.  But it kept raining, and then it started running down the sloped parking lot and down the cracks in the concrete.  It lasted about an hour, and we quickly pulled off the plastic to minimize damage and get it to dry as quickly as possible.

Steve and I hold down the plastic, and wait for the rain to stop.

We jumped back on it, and really work hard to get the piece done in one day.  The sun came back out and it got pretty hot again, so we were glad we had the tents.  The size of the art was about 12' wide by 20' long, so that you could sit on the horse in the picture. 

Jenny and I work on the colt and try to figure out the tangle of legs.

Jenny typically works with paint, and had never used pastels before, so this was all new to her.  The technique of layering the chalk takes a little bit of getting used to, I have to admit.  I think it is similar to watercolors, since you need to put down lighter colors first.  Lighter colors are hard to make dense and pure when layered on top of dark areas.

And collaborating is always a bit difficult.  I am used to working with my daughters, but I know their skills well, and what they do best.  The challenge here was to assess what each of us could bring to the art and direct it to it's best use.  I think both Jenny and Steve have a new appreciation for how hard it is to complete something of this size so quickly and the challenges of the weather and surface.  I hope the experience didn't scare them off from doing more street painting in the future!

What Happens When It Rains?

Probably the number one question I get as a street painter.  Besides the obvious smart ass response "We get wet" is that it washes away.  And here's what happens to the art...

Washed out Madonna

After one night of rain, a days work is almost completely washed away.  This piece was 4' x 6' on concrete, and took about 6 hours to complete at the Italian Family Festa.  The original was intense with color and contrast, the results of layers of chalk.  But a wicked storm blew through Tallahassee in the middle of the night on Saturday and did a lot of damage.  There was a tent over the work, but it didn't help much. 

The day began rather dewy and damp, and it took awhile to get the layer of tempera paint to dry enough so I could start chalking.  It was so damp, I couldn't get the duct tape to stick for the border.  But we were lucky to have a relatively rain free day.

Here is the finished piece on Saturday. 

Madonna with child by Italian Renaissance Artist Guido Reni

There is no way to preserve or seal chalk on the street or sidewalk without changing the art.  It is what makes the art special.  It is but a fleeting flash of brilliance and beauty, like a colorful sunset or listening to a concert.  Enjoy the moment!  (Then take a picture and share it with all your friends on Facebook!)

First Time Chalking at National Harvest Festival

I was honored to be invited to be a featured artist at the National Harvest Festival at Silver Dollar City, in Branson, MO this fall.  My first piece on Opening Weekend was the logo with two "additions" of kids chalking.  It looks like they are actually chalking the logo on the ground, giving it a 3D look.

Then I started this 3D reproduction of a Norman Rockwell piece that was originally from a Saturday Evening Post cover.  This pieces was about 6' wide x 10' tall and took 3 days to complete.

Then I got washed out during the next two days.  I was attempting this piece by A. Rodriguez but each day the rain started about midday, and I couldn't work anymore.  The rivers of water that started to come through made me think I should rename this piece "A River Runs Through It"

Next I worked on this piece, another Norman Rockwell piece.  This was about 10' wide x 8' high and took 3 days, (2 days chalking, one rainy day that was spent trying to preserve it until I could finish it).

Then I worked on this piece for two days, another smaller Norman Rockwell piece.  It was about 5' across x 8' high.  I put a lot of time into the details and even added a border/frame around the outside.

 I am looking forward to going back up in October and working from October 19 - 29, 2011.  I have two 3D pieces planned, one is an interactive carousel horse that kids can sit in and have their picture taken.

Chalking in Dalkey

While chalking at the Chalk Festival in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland last weekend, I was approached by a woman who wanted to know if I could chalk a board for a restaurant in nearby Dalkey.  I said sure, that we had two days after the festival, and we were planning on going to Dalkey anyway.  We found the restaurant, the Dalkey Dispensary, which is a very nice tapas and wine restaurant, with 2 floors and lots of black walls.  They wanted us to chalk a large table upstairs, and three areas on the walls.  We quickly made some sketches and Mercedes and I got to work.  Craig took the train back to the hotel to get the rest of our chalks, since I had only brought enough for a small board. 

It took about 5 hours for the two of us to complete the table and walls.  Chalking in the dark was a bit of a challenge.  At one point, the restaurant was so busy, that we had a couple of tables of patrons eating nearby (Dinner and a Show!).  They are going to try spray coat it and we took pictures, but short of putting a glass top over it, it will probably be only temporary.  Jackie, the manager, wanted to use it on their website, but also wanted to use it as a table.  We also sampled some of their great tapas and wine while working.  Everything was great!

Click here to see the video.