When I started my little casual hike into the chalk art woods, I didn’t really have any expectations and wasn’t sure where it would take me. All I know is that I liked working on chalkboards and really enjoyed learning about how to make them look beautiful.

Once I had been at it for awhile, I became confident enough to start pitching my work to small restaurants and local vineyards to do a-frames, or specials boards. Then in March of 2020, as a prompt from my sister to letter the phrase “There’s no place like home” I took my first go at a proper portrait, which was of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. It turned out pretty good and I decided to see if I could use it to drum up some more business.

I took to an unconventional site: www.nextdoor.com and posted some photos of my work and let the community know that I existed and was open for commissions. Enter my game-changing client, who messaged me about the Dorothy portrait. It seems his wife is a big Wizard of Oz fan and he wondered if I could do a big version of that piece on his driveway. I had never attempted sidewalk chalk but he didn’t want it done for another 6 weeks so, as far as I was concerned, I had 6 weeks to learn how to do it. So, I told him “absolutely” then immediately took to the streets so I wouldn’t make a big time asshole of myself (not that I haven’t done that PLENTY of times both before and since).

I quickly learned that not only was I capable of doing large-scale sidewalk chalk portraits, but that the community LOVED them! So, I started doing more and more of them and inviting visitors and now my entire business model has changed. Gone are the days of begging for an a-frame job, now I have a skill that a lot of people appreciate, and there is value in that.

When the time came to do the large Dorothy, we were hit by unexpected challenges which more often than not, can be attributed to rainy weather (occupational hazard when you’re a chalk artist that lives in the PNW). So we delayed, and delayed, and finally settled on May of 2021. It took me two days to complete the job then for the next two days, IT POURED. My client was out of town and despite his families attempts to save the work with a giant tarp and a lot of duct tape, it had taken a bit of a beating.

My biggest disappointment is that this genuinely game-changing client didn’t get to see the final piece in it’s grandest state. He was patient, and kind, and how sweet is it that he wanted to surprise his bride with something so unique? In the end, all I can say is that this commission was the greatest gift ever and gave this art nerd some real confidence and enthusiasm toward something new. Working out on the streets of the city has allowed me to meet so many cool people in this little city. I’ve gotten a lot of supporters, cheerleaders, fans, pals, and more out of this one single commission.

So, if you’re an artist, just say “yes” to everything because you never know what little thing will completely change your life. If you’re not an artist but want cool, custom artwork, commission your local artists. I can’t tell you what your support means to them.