First-ever ChalkStock success for community, artists

A Piece of Work, Inc., is pleased to announce that this year's ChalkStock Art Festival was a "huge" success. The sidewalk chalk festival with sidewalk, art, people and music was held on Saturday, Aug. 14, on the 1600 block of Hill Avenue in Olde Town Spirit Lake. The estimated 200 spectators were treated to viewing a Children's Drawing Area, Artist Chalk-Offs, and a Sidewalk/Street Drawing Competition.

About 40 children and their parents participated in the Children's Drawing Area. The original idea for those artists 11 and younger was to have two murals in the parking lot of the Family Diner. The first mural, scheduled from 9-11 a.m., had the subject of "Iowa/Spirit Lake Landmarks" and the artwork included a family from Illinois, whose son drew a map of how to get back to their home near Chicago from the Lakes Area. He even labeled the streets and highways.

The topic for the afternoon mural (from 1-3 p.m.) was "Animals in the (imaginary) Spirit Lake Zoo." Kids drew things like a duck, an alligator, giraffe, a few lions, and a buggy -- a VW 'punch' Buggy -- complete with a message of "No Punch Backs!"

Artists duel in themed 'Chalk-Offs'

In the Artist Chalk-Offs, two artists use their skills to compete in a timed drawing match; 2-foot-by-2-foot squares were marked off in the parking lot next to the Family Diner. Dueling artists drew in squares directly next to each other, and then the winner was chosen by applause from the crowd. Subjects were random and fun, while still being open to various interpretations.

One of the Chalk-Offs was on the topic of "Computer." One artist sketched out a 3D pink laptop computer, while the other created a symbol that combined the numbers 0 and 1, representing the binary code that computers use. Other subjects for the Chalk-Offs were "Elephants," "Basket of Apples," "Tea Kettle," "Sleeping Cat," and "George Washington," among others.

The youngest pair to participate in the Chalk-Offs were less than 8 years old, and their subject was "Your Mommy." Both mothers stood and 'posed' for their daughters as the young artists rejected the confines of the 2-foot-by-2-foot square, and completed full-body drawings of their mommies.

The Sidewalk/Street Drawing Competition was by far the largest event of the day, beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at about 4:45 p.m.

Subject matters vary in color, topic

Sizes of drawing spaces were varied, from a 4-foot-by-4-foot sidewalk square, to a 4-by-8 space (two sidewalk squares next to each other) to an 8-by-10 space in the blocked off parking spaces on the east side of Hill Avenue. Artists were given an official ChalkStock T-Shirt and a set of 48 chalk pastels for their $17 registration fee. The artists were free to draw whatever they wanted, as long as it fit within the guidelines of being family-friendly (no obscenities or nudity, and no words, symbols or images that could be considered offensive or inappropriate for young children to view). The subject matters depicted were as varied as the ages of the artists. One participant used her space to depict two mechanical figures, and posed the philosophical question "Can Robots Love?" Another participant drew a parrot in a tree, with rainbow colored feathers. Another mimicked the works of M.C. Escher, with a piece that resembled a puzzle -- except the pieces that fit together were multi-colored fish and birds!

Talent abounds in ChalkStock participants

Twenty-one different artists made their marks on the sidewalk: Brooklyn Wackerbarth, Rachael Sitzman, Caeona Krivolavy, Jim Van Horn, Briel Woods, Carolyn Van Horn, Seana Godbold, Amanda Elgersma, Megan Kroese, Jared Banes, Lexi Jennings, Emma Wolff, Gina Ove, Glenda Drennen, Sharon Sadusky, Irene McCoy, Nathanael Adolph, Haley Isder, Jordan Welch, Ashley Ove, and Cheyanne Fox.

Winners take all

Judging began at the end of the day, and was nearly as difficult to complete as the all-day drawings were. So many talented artists created so many amazing works of art, how could one ever choose? Hair was pulled, shouting commenced, and finally the decisions were made. The award for Most 3-D went to Rachael Sitzman, for her drawing of Alice trying to climb up out of the rabbit hole and escape the Queen of Hearts. The award for Best Landscape went to Lexi Jennings, who drew a night scene of a blonde woman looking out over a moonlit lake. The award for Most Colorful went to Ashley Ove, who drew a large, bare tree in front of a rainbow-colored sunset. The award for Most Original went to Seana Goldbold, who drew the Hill Curb Café: a table with three tractor seats, and served for dinner is a squirrel on a plate (with fixin's) and the message "Have a Seat for a Bumper Treat."

In addition to a certificate (which all winners received) the first and second place winners also received a monetary award. The second place award, along with $100, went to Gina Ove, who created a beautiful floral scene, complete with a butterfly and the word "Life." The First Place award, along with $200, was given to Briel Woods, for her detailed drawing of a pink-haired, gold-eyed mermaid holding a starfish.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in ChalkStock 2010, as well as all the passers-by. If it wasn't for you, ChalkStock could not have been the fabulous day it turned out to be. For those who haven't gotten a chance yet to see the amazing chalk drawings, you really should. The artwork still remains from ChalkStock, as long as Mother Nature doesn't wash it away.

Extra T-Shirts from this year's ChalkStock, as well as a poster showing each entry in the Sidewalk/Street Drawing Competition (coming soon), will be for sale at A Piece of Work, Inc. Hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday -- Saturday. For any questions or comments about ChalkStock, please call (712) 336-1077, or e-mail apieceofworkinc@gmail.com.