The Art of Timing - Kansas City's Chalk Art Walk

You don't take a photograph, you make it. - Ansel Adams

The Kansas City Chalk Art Walk was this past weekend. In years past, I can remember only one of these events where the weather held for the duration of the show. I am sure there were more but I couldn't work any of those into my schedule; and those I could manage since then have been rained out, some, within a few hours.

This year, I had all but forgotten when I found a post card ad at the coffee shop. It was just a few days ahead of the event and the weather forecast looked promising. Determined not to miss this year´s showcase on street canvas, I hoped to introduce some friends to this special scene.

The fact the art is ephemeral is part of the attraction. Artists must complete their creations in a few hours and then, to avoid soiling any neighborhood tires, everything is washed away and the street is returned to the prior state of unadornment in time for the Monday morning work rush.

Timing is key. Go too early and there are no finished works to enjoy, too late and all the magic has happened. Most of the fun is watching the art in process and participants are not required to have any expertise so the range of talent offers a nice variety of works. Many of the artists also display their blueprint to allow bystanders to chart the progress. That is especially helpful in the initial stage when there are no finished works to see.

Sunday morning offered a diverse collection of chalk masterpieces: finished, in process, and a few - because it had been so hot on Saturday - abandoned. We also timed the rain just right. We enjoyed an hour or so touring and marveling at the creations; a slight breeze carried the smell of warm pavement and chalk.

Entertained and impressed, less than an hour after my friends and I snapped our chalk art shots against the backdrop of a warm, slightly overcast, Midwest summer morning, storm clouds converged, burst open and the downpour prematurely capped the show once again. Or maybe that is how it should happen for artistic effect.

Can't imagine it left much work for the street cleaner but I can picture a multitude of rainbow rivers rushing to the drains.

The Kansas City Chalk Art Walk is a fun sampling of garden variety street artists getting together to share their talents. For those who get the chalk art bug, there is one guy - not from Kansas City - who takes chalk art to the next level. He might be called an Extreme Chalk Artist. Check out Julian Beever, an artist who makes chalk art pop...



Special Mention for the above Photo - Chalk Artist with Horse - Gina K. Townley