Pasadena Chalk Art Festival

Katy and I checked out the Pasadena Chalk Art Festival this past weekend. I intended for it to be a frivolous midday diversion, but wound up being mighty impressed by the event. These weren't your average playground chalk endeavors. The event set a Guinness World Record by attracting 600 artists - professional and aspiring - to create large chalk murals on the sidewalks.




I was fascinated not only by the technique, but by how much effort was going into something so ephemeral. A lot of the beauty was in the process; I loved watching artists sitting amidst a self-created dusty mess, their skin tinted with unnatural hues. They did it for the love of community and art for art's sake.




It wasn't all chalk drawings, though. Of course, there also had to be dozens of antique cars. Do we really need to see them at every single community event? I know their owners live to show them off as often as possible, but who cares? I'll probably be driving my Corolla until I'm 80 (or until hovercrafts are invented), but that will be out of stubborn frugality, not a desire to impress passersby. Go get a real hobby or do drugs or something. People could have been drawing where those cars were parked!

But the art was always great. Sometimes political, sometimes provocative, sometimes funny. Heck, the worst one might have been the portrait of Sookie. But even that was awesome because it was, well, Sookie. Even the kids' amateur efforts were appreciated.







For as much crap as I talk about Los Angeles, there's a lot of great sights and activities to be enjoyed. It just requires cutting through the artifice. I'll take a sidewalk covered with chalk art to stars with celebrities' names any day.