Participating Visual Artists 2018

Flavio Coppola

Flavio Coppola, painter, muralist and street artist, lives and works in Florence, Italy. Born in Venezuela in 1962, he  qualified in Artistic Liceum  in 1980 and received a Diploma in Advanced Studies in painting at the Fine Art Academy of Rome in 1984. He worked as a restorer of frescos, stucchi and wall decorations, in various churches in the Liguria region and for private clients.  He has participated at numerous art-shows, performances and installations, both group and individually, in the Florence and Romans scene. Active as a street-artist since early 1990, he introduced a new spirit to the well known ‘Madonnaro’ discipline in Florence and many locations in Italy and Europe and all over the south of Italy and was invited to participate at the following street-art festivals: Mercantia  Certaldo nelle edizioni  from 1998 to 2005; Antica Fiera delle Grazie nelle edizioni from 1990 to 2001 e from 2009 to 2014, Linzer Pflasterspektakel  (Austria) in 2007, The Colours of Valkenburg (Olanda) in 2008 and the Sarasota Chalk Festival (US) in 2011.

Jennifer Chaparro and Mercedes Chaparro

Jennifer Chaparro is an internationally recognized award-winning street painter/madonnara from South Florida.  She grew up in San Diego and has a degree in Design from UCLA.  Her daughter, Mercedes Chaparro,has a degree in Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and now lives and works in the Washington DC area.   Jennifer began street painting in 2004 as something fun to do with her daughter,  but then turned it into a business and now travels the world creating custom works of art for festivals and special events.  Jennifer received her Maestro Certification in 2011, and is known for her exquisite portraiture, but also for exciting 3D anamorphic street art that boggles the mind. You can see more of her work on her website at www.AmazingStreetPainting.com.

CarlosAlberto GH

CarlosAlberto GH is an artist  from Guadalajara, Mexico who was introduced to street art by his sister, Adry del Rocío, with whom he frequently collaborates. They have participated in international street painting and mural expositions all over the world including in the United States, Cuba, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Russia and at home in Mexico. Carlos is a former archaeological restorer on the Mayan peninsula.

Francesca Arsi

Francesca Arsì, painter, musician, street artist, lives and works in Florence, Italy. Born in Genova in 1984, she is qualified in restoration and wall-painting in 2005. She worked as restorer of frescos, stucchi and wall decorations, in various churches in the Liguria region and for private clients. Bachelor’s degree in painting at the Academy of Genova in 2009. Graduated in superior studies in painting at the Academy of Torino in 2012. Participation at numerous art-shows, both group and single in the genovese and torinese scene. Work selected for Athens Art 2010. Shows in the gallery Marena Project, Torino and at “The Others” (Torino 2013) Performs musical decomposition along with Hairi Vogel. (2013 -) Active as street-artist since early 2014, she introduced a new spirit to the well known ‘Madonnara’ discipline in Florence, Assisi, Siena and all over the south of Italy and was invited to participate at street-art festivals in Toulon, Almere, Nocera, Jerusalem, Scheveningen, Krefeld, mannheim, blumberg, kiln, Baltimore and Sarasota. At the yearly ‘Antichissima Fiera delle Grazie’ in Curtatone , Italy, (the world’s biggest reunion of traditional ‘Madonnari’) her work was awarded by the Rotary Club.

Beatrice Flaig

Born in Africa and growing up in France, Beatrice Flaig was exposed to diverse cultures and a multitude of artistic venues. Her childhood was a creative playground and her enjoyment and curiosity for the arts became part of her daily life. She teaches Secondary science and infuses art in every spectrum of her profession . She believes art belongs in every classroom. In fact she loves teaching art as much as science . With no formal training Beatrice finds street painting tremendously rewarding for the pure fact that it instills a great sense of accomplishment and is a means to imagine, create and communicate every time a piece of artwork emerges on the pavement. Her students also enjoy viewing pictures of every event attended and some of them partake in street painting as well.

As an award winner at various festivals, Beatrice recently expended her participation to many other street painting festivals throughout the North and Southeast. ” Street Painting used to be a hobby and recently became an addiction. There’s an excitement to working on creating outdoor museums with the possibility of wind, heat and even rain. Enduring various environmental elements while the murals take form is quite challenging. “I enjoy large scale art and participating in street painting events rekindles a familiar passion shared by many other artists every time we rendezvous at various chalk festivals throughout the year”.​

As a member of the Florida Chalk Artist Association and the International Street Painting Society, Beatrice is delighted to be invited to various festivals and given the opportunity to create artworks that leave lasting impressions long after the chalk disappeared.

Michael Kirby

Michael William Kirby is a leading public artist and street painter from Baltimore, MD, USA. He has nearly 20 years of experience creating permanent and temporary public art pieces around the world. Mr. Kirby has been commissioned and contracted since the early 1990’s for his unique and original view of anamorphic or forced perspective street paintings or more commonly known as 3D street art, 3D street painting, 3D chalk art, ephemeral art, or 3D sidewalk art. This technique of using sharp angles and adjusting the image to the viewers point of view was adapted from Kirby’s time while creating sets and props for Opera companies and Movie/TV sets in Italy. The technique of forced perspective and 3 dimensional illusions have been around in theatre since the ancient Greeks. Mr. Kirby was one of the first artists to adapt this technique with his own unique style to public art.

Today Michael Kirby is considered a master in the art form and was the first American artist to have won the title of Master Street Painter in all the major European Street Painting festivals. Since the early 90’s he has spread the art form to numerous locations that include Germany, Colombia, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Guatemala, England, Ireland, France, various locations in the USA and many others. Artists from many of these countries have copied and used his techniques to create 3D images on the pavement on their own. Today artists of the past and present continue to turn to Mr. Kirby’s work as a base to develop their own work.

The Los Angeles Times wrote “Michael Kirby is one of the best Street painters in the world.” Mr. Kirby continues to be commissioned and contracted for advertising, marketing, festivals, and other events. He has worked in over 200 cities and been across North and South America and Europe creating street paintings. As well as creating street paintings Mr. Kirby also teaches workshops and lectures on technique and history of street painting. The workshops that teach the tricks of the trade such as using pigments vs pastels, using carpets, scaling, color schemes, mica, and other techniques. The lectures speak about history and artists.

Mr. Kirby has worked for such clients as the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, Honda, McDonalds, Carnival Cruise Ships and been featured on the David Letterman Show, Ace of Cakes, BBC, Good Morning America, Il Tempo, Venezia Gazatte, Informador, and others. Michael Kirby is considered a leader in this rising art form and an originator of the 3D look. He is also commissioned to create permanent public art pieces using techniques he learned in Italy and Mexico which include fresco. He is one of a handful of artist that uses the labor intensive technique in the United States. The majority of his permanent public art pieces are in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States which includes the states of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC. He has also developed original techniques using fiber cement in his work so that his 2D visual public art pieces can be shipped and installed in locations around the world.

Tiberio Mazzocchi

Tiberio Mazzocchi, uno dei maghi italiani del gessetto, è nato proprio nella città del castello mediceo, dov’è anche titolare di un negozio di strumenti musicali. Illustratore, chitarrista di flamenco, appassionato di pittura, il 56enne è un artista a tutto tondo, capace di esplorare diverse forme espressive.

La passione per le rappresentazioni religiose è nata nel 2009; oggi quello di Tiberio Mazzocchi è un nome affermato nel settore. A Ferragosto ha partecipato al festival internazionale di Curtatone (166 concorrenti da tutto il mondo), classificandosi primo nella categoria dei Madonnari «qualificati» e strappando così il titolo di «maestro». «Apocalisse 5.5» è la rappresentazione con cui ha vinto la gara creativa. «Erano due anni che lavoravo a quest’opera, ispirata a un passo della Bibbia – racconta – Fra le particolarità del disegno ci sono la composizione piramidale e il leone della tribù di Giuda, un’allegoria di Cristo, re dei Giudei. Del resto, l’arte è un insieme di rimandi, e simboli». Fra i Madonnari, Mazzocchi è considerato uninnovatore. Al fondo della sua opera c’è uno studio sui significati e sul colore, una sperimentazione continua. «Cerco di recuperare il ruolo del Madonnaro come illustratore della storia sacra, tentando di attualizzare questa stessa storia nella realtà contemporanea, non come un copista, ma come un inventore di nuove immagini – spiega – La fantasia gioca un ruolo importante in questa ricerca di allegorie e originalità». Mazzocchi si è avvicinato a questa forma d’arte grazie a un amico, Luigi Generani, a sua volta melegnanese e Madonnaro. «Essendo già illustratore e vignettista, forse ho avuto maggiore facilità ad entrare in contatto con questo mondo – dichiara – Sono anche musicista: pittura e musica seguono gli stessi schemi, riconducibili a rapporti matematici. Quella dei Madonnari è una forma d’arte che deve avere un impatto sul grande pubblico, possedere un linguaggio universale».

Bozzetti, diplomi, medaglie, ritratti. Sono solo alcuni degli oggetti che si trovano nel retrobottega del negozio di Mazzocchi, dove il melegnanese impartisce anche lezioni di musica. Il 56enne frequenta la libera scuola del nudo all’Accademia di Brera e fa parte di una band, «Uanema», che interpreta la musica popolare del Sud Italia, dalla pizzica alla tarantella. «Oggi è ancora possibile vivere d’arte. Se un lavoro è di buona qualità, prima o poi qualcuno se ne accorge. Ho trasmesso ai miei figli la passione per questo mondo».

Ever Galvez

Ever Galvez is a fine artist, classically trained in painting, drawing, sculpture and traditional  animation. He is known most prominently for his award winning Chalk Street Painting talents. He began his journey enriched by the vibrant colors of Mexico and eventually the multicultural influences of Southern California. Through his art, he shares an interpretation of colors  that goes beyond what the naked eye can see in all that surrounds him. He combines this with his deep respect for the traditional arts and artists like Alphonse Mucha, Lorenzo Bernini, J.C. Leyendecker, William A. Bouguereau, Caravaggio, and Michelangelo among others. In doing so, he creates a form of realism  that he believes brings a subject’s true colors and emotions to the surface for all to experience.

“The true colors of an object is the interpretation of our own experiences in life. My surroundings made me achieve those experiences through the years. Through art, I can capture a moment in time and transform and express it for everyone to see.”

Andrea Starinieri

Andrea Starinieri was born in 1977 in Pescara, Italy. He graduated art school in his hometown before moving to Florence, Italy, to attend the Fine Art Academy. After receiving his degree in 2002, Andrea went on working in a number of art galleries in Florence and Granada, Spain. He actually lives in Pescara with his wife Lara and their two kids. He works as a “Madonnaro” (pavement artist) mostly along Via del Corso in Rome.

Sharyn Chan

Sharyn Chan Namnath is a unique blend of scientist, artist, hip-hop dancer, and a motorcycle racer. Currently she works as a street artist and hip hop dance instructor as well as a government contract project manager. She has always loved art, but her career path took a different turn in college where she graduated with a computer science degree and stayed in that field for 30+ years. She dabbled in the artistic side of computers diving into Photoshop and graphic arts on the side, but, it was not until she met world-class street painter Tracy Lee Stum in 2001 that she learned about the ancient art form of street painting. Rekindling her passion for art, Sharyn began street painting in her hometown of Santa Barbara and has traveled all over the world with Tracy street painting to her heart’s content.  http://www.sharynchanart.com

Lissette Aguirre Hinojosa

Hello! My name is Lissette Aguirre Hinojosa. I’m a Mexican artist and I lived at Monterrey city. My passions are painting on canvas and of course, to paint on the Street. I’ve been participating on several chalk painting festivals since 12 years ago, but I’m a painter since I was a kid. I’m an art teacher on a school and I love to teach my kids everything about art history and how to discover their inner talent.
My art career started since I was 5 years old when I draw my grandmother and my uncle. I love to paint and draw on a variety of techniques. I decide to study fine arts at “Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and I participated on four exhibitions with all my classmates.

I dedicate my entire life to teach kids and teenagers art history, drawing, watercolor, oil and mixed techniques.

I discovered the amazing chalk technique at festival bellavia in Monterrey city, and my participation started on 2005 and finished it on 2016.

Later, I decided to look for other festivals after got some experience and prizes and I went on a trip to Nocera superiore Italy to their festival on 2012.Next year I got 2nd prize at Toulon France, which gave me a higher category, and I’ve been looking for some new festivals and new art experiences.

During November 2017 I participated at Chalk Festival at Venice Florida and Houston Via Colori

Im planning to visit different festivals during coming years and I hope to visit Little Italy soon!

Nicole Flaig

Nicole Flaig has been participating in Street Painting festivals across the United States since 2004. She began painting along side her mother, Beatrice Flaig, in Florida and continued on to win competitions, such as People’s Choice awards in both Colorado and Connecticut. She strives to try different techniques at nearly every festival, sometimes including 3D perspectives. More often than not, you will find her paintings to be dynamic, bright, and boldly colorful.

While not her only passion (she is currently pursuing a career in Neuroscience), Nicole has a strong love for the street art. Both the ephemeral creative experience and interactions with the crowds are the driving joy of recreating grand scales of art on the pavement. Nicole has also branched out into creations in the opposite end of the spectrum: miniature oil and acrylic paintings! From twenty feet to 20 millimeters, the process of drawing and painting is a meditative one and will keep her painting for fun for years to come.

Erik Greenawalt

Erik Greenawalt’s passion for chalk art began more than a decade ago in the driveway of his suburban Pittsburgh home, when his then-toddler-aged daughters, Jaycie and Jenna, first asked him to draw Mickey, Cinderella, Elmo and Eeyore. Those young art directors were very demanding and wanted more and more elaborate pieces. Erik soon became known as “The Chalking Dad” among his neighbors.

Today, Erik — who in real life is a Certified Public Accountant working in corporate finance — is also a certified “master” chalk artist in the Florida Chalk Artist Association. He participates in street painting festivals around the country, where he joins other artists in creating large-scale, elaborate chalk drawings over several days. Erik especially enjoys drawing portraits of celebrities and sports heroes. 

Erik is excited to have one of his daughters, Jenna, chalking alongside him this year. Jenna, 12, is a 7th-grader at Norwin Middle School, where she plays the viola and French horn as well as performs with the color guard. She has helped her dad on drawings all three years of the Little Italy festival; this year she will be doing her own street painting.

You can find more of Erik’s work at www.thechalkingdad.com or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @TheChalkingDad

Jenna Greenawalt

Marisa Ramirez

November 09, 1965, Guadalajara Jalisco. Graduated Computer System Engineering at Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG), Zapopan, Jalisco, México. Ever since she was a child, the art made its way into her mind and concerns, and made her start drawing and painting lessons in 1977 under the teachings of Adriana Andrade Moreno. She’s done painting restoration works for Pedro Diego Alvarado Rivera, grandson of the Great Diego Rivera. She identifies herself with Oil and her favourite artistic vein is the “Magical Realism”. She admires the work of Salvador Dalí and considers the influence of the great to have improved her technique and develop the imagination and creativity.

1977-2001 Portrait, particular classes with teacher María Luisa González Arechiga, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. 1977, Drawing and painting, particular classes with teacher Adriana Andrade Moreno, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.  For several years she studied sculpture with teacher Luis Larios, where she studied Estofado technique (polychromed wood statues). She continues to study other techniques with teacher Enrique Ruíz Rojo.

Surrealism, cubism, portait, abstract art, among others.

First collective exhibition at “La Casa de Italia, A.C.”, october 28 de 1985. Permanent exposition in gallery “Garden Spirit fine art of the Americas”, Frederickburg, Texas, from 2000 to 2010. Work exposed in magazine “Southwest Art” in april 2003, as well as in “American Style”, in 2005.

Kerville Daily Times, “Visions of Angels and Saints”. Aknowledgement and interview, february 5, 2005. Recognition in the Sixth Art Exhibition from Grupo Reforma, with the exposition of the nominated pieces in México City and Monterrey. Collective exhibition in San Javier Private Club y november, 2012. Selected piece “Dreams (Sueños)” for Eight Art Exhibition from Grupo Reforma, 2013. Selected piece “Soyola (Tiempo de invierno)/ Soyola (Winter time)” for Nineth Art Exhibition from Grupo Reforma, 2014.

​”We draw our dreams watching humbly, as a bullfighting cape extends and by chance praises the form. Life is a dream, in which we look at the bullring, and in a revolera we yearn for a good faena”. 

https://www.marisaramirezart.com/

Anthony Cappetto and Wendy Stum

Anthony Cappetto is an internationally recognized 3D street painting artist working in chalk and paint who shares his art form throughout the USA and internationally including India, UAE, Japan, Uruguay, Germany, Mexico, and Italy. Cappetto has been a guest of the US State Department in South America, lecturing and mentoring University students in Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as students in South Carolina, Georgia, and New York.  An early adopter/pioneer in the use of 4D emerging technologies since 2007 such as augmented and virtual reality as an integrated part of his 3D anamorphic illusions Cappetto has created public 3D/4D installations in Mumbai, India, Florida, South Carolina, and California.

Cappetto was invited and participated as part of a select group of world class 3D street painters for the first Dubai Canvas Festival in 2015 and has been a team member of two Sistine Chapel re-creations in California and Mexico.  It is very important to me as a 3D street painter to design and create 3D interactive art where the public can pose with and be in the art when the sizes allow.  I look forward to sharing my 3D art with everyone at the Festival.  artforafterhours.com

Wendy Stum attended her first street panting festival in the late 1990’s and started photographing, then video interviewing the artists at work as a way to share the art form with the public.  Since then, Wendy has assisted Anthony with the chalk art, mentoring, and public interaction at festivals in New York, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, California, Mexico, and the UAE.

Naomi Haverland

Naomi Haverland has been painting for as long as she can remember and has been doing chalk art regularly for the last eight years.  She specializes in humorous and hyper-realistic portraits.  She has won many recognitions and awards for her chalk art, including 7 awards at the Denver Chalk Art Festival, in Colorado, the state she is from.  Recently, she has moved from Denver to Seattle, and she is working to bring more chalk art to the rainy city, even if that means bringing it indoors.

Www.naomihaverland.com

Zuleika Hodges

Zuleika Hodges is an artist who was born in Haiti. Coming from a long lineage of artists, she was introduced to art at an early age. Zuleika began creating street art in 2003. She  currently resides in South Florida and competes in street paintings both nationally and internationally.

Barbara Epstein Gruber

A native of Baltimore, Barbara Epstein Gruber attended Catonsville Community College, received a BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, studied in the graduate fine arts program at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her MFA from Brooklyn College. Her work can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the US, Europe and the UK and has been featured in numerous local and national publications. Ms. Gruber’s work has won Best in Show and Honorable Mention at national and regional levels by such esteemed jurors as Klauss Kertess of the Whitney Museum, Bernard Chaet, Samuel Hoi, George Gurney of the Smithsonian and Doreen Bolger of the BMA. She is currently an instructor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, The Johns Hopkins University and The Yellow Barn. Most recently, she was a finalist for the William and Trafford Klots residency in Brittany, France.  Ms. Gruber’s work has appeared in the New York Times Art Review, New American Paintings, The Baltimore Urbanite, and the covers of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, The Huntington Arts Review and the Baltimore Messenger and been featured in videos for The Loudoun Times Mirror. Her work can be seen in private and corporate collections throughout the United States, Washington, D.C., Europe and the UK and she is represented in galleries in Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, California and Virginia. Ms. Gruber has been a guest juror for noted arts organizations and is frequently invited to participate in arts fundraisers. Barbara Gruber is currently an instructor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and the Johns Hopkins University, The Yellow Barn and The Griffin Art Center. She has taught at Anne Arundel Community College, Stevenson University and Howard Community College.

Shelley Brenner

Shelley Brenner discovered street painting several years ago through a local chalk art competition in her hometown of Chelsea, Michigan. Since that time she has participated in a variety of chalk events throughout the Midwest and has enjoyed sharing her love of chalk art as a featured artist. A lifelong artist, Shelley began her higher education with a fine arts scholarship at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Today she works as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in Lansing, MI.

Dave Brenner

Born and raised in the Land of the Midnight Sun, Dave Brenner hails from Fairbanks, Alaska and currently resides with his chalk artist wife, Shelley Brenner, in Chelsea Michigan. He holds a BFA with a concentration in painting and a BA in theater from the University of Alaska – Fairbanks. He is now the Creative Director at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment. His fine art and photography has been featured at multiple venues throughout Alaska and the Midwest. Dave discovered that his dual passions for painting and acting translated seamlessly into street painting. He loves to bring images to life in large scale while engaging with interested passersby.

Shelley and Dave Brenner (@apigmentchalkart)

Bridget "BK" Lyons

Bridget “BK” Lyons is a Florida Artist who focuses on colors in her paintings. That love of color has become a staple in her choices for street painting.  Over the years, she has moved on from flat, bright images to develop her passion for colors and just how far she can push the limits.  Her style continues to evolve in street painting, by her mixed use of carefully selected reproductions and inspired original pieces. Aside from street painting, BK also enjoys photography and painting in acrylics.

Social Media:  Twitter:@chalkdirtytome Instagram:chalk_dirty Facebook:chalk dirty to me

Abraham Burciaga

My name is Abraham Burciaga, a engineer and street painter born in Torreón, México. Since 2014, I practice street art as Madonnari in different festivals in México and other countries, like USA, United Kingdom and Germany. I am looking for promove street art culture in my town, making different exhibitions and teaching the technique to young people, generally, because I think that is a great way to meet people and to live amazing experiences around the world. As an artist, I seek to impact and move to people’s emotions, because I believe that is the main reasson to make art.

Holland Winslow

Holland Winslow is passionate about color and expresses this through her vibrant and deep hues in her artwork. She graduated from East Carolina University with numerous art awards and scholarships along the way. She lives in Williamsburg, VA where she is a full time graphic designer for the Commonwealth of VA and owns a small business “Hollandesigns,” which focuses in graphic design, streetpainting and murals.

Holland started street painting in 2007. In 2008, she won Best in Show for her “Koi Fish” and many more awards have followed. Since then, she has “taken to the streets” with her chalking, traveling for competitions and commissions, working in both 3D and 2d installations. Through streetpainting, she has gained friends from all over the world and coming together at events is so rewarding and life is like a box of pastels!

Rebecca Haacke

Rebecca Haacke is a Utah Artist who grew up with a passion for art and discovered the thrill and challenge of street painting in 2012. Known for incorporating vivid colors, unusual perspectives and particularly difficult elements such as hands, faces and flowing water in her pieces – which have garnered numerous Best In Show and Best Use of Color awards for her work.

Rebecca received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art from BYU Hawaii in 2001 and continues to evolve her art through, drawing, ceramics and street painting. She is inspired by life and love, dedicating her pieces to new perspectives and sparking her audiences to see life in new, beautiful ways

Sara Mellissa Wenger

Sara Mellissa Wenger is an artist based in New York City. She has her Master’s of Art in Art Education. A lifelong advocate of all art forms and public education, she finds nothing more enjoyable than working with her students and seeing their voices heard in their art. Currently, she works as an art teacher at a public school in the South Bronx. Sara became curious about chalk art when she participated in the Hudson Valley Chalk Festival in 2013. There she met numerous artists who took her under their wings, and showed her the wonders of chalk painting. Being a chalk artist has given her the opportunity to travel to different states where she is able to engage with the people and express how important and valuable the arts are for communities.

Ken Mullen

Ken Mullen has been chalking on pavement for almost half of his life.  Whether working alone, with his children, or as half of the “Chalk Guys,” he loves to zone out and get lost in the zen of street painting under a pair of headphones.  A lifelong music lover, he takes pride in the fact that he hooked both his daughters on the Beatles at an early age.  The fab four became a source of artistic inspiration as well, as the subject of a number of his paintings, along with other musicians such as Tom Waits and Keith Richards.  As half of the Chalk Guys, along with Hector Diaz, Ken has enjoyed the opportunity to travel and meet fellow artists, while creating many large and whimsical 3D chalk paintings.  He hopes to continue the fun, and share his love of street painting for years to come.  http://www.mellowmonkeyart.com

Jesse LuBera

Jesse LuBera is a native of northern Pennsylvania, where he has worked as a Senior Designer in the advertising industry for over a decade. Jesse is an accomplished graphic and traditional artist whose personal work in branding and illustration has been featured in publications and galleries both locally and internationally. A self-taught artist, his work ranges from digital, charcoal, oils, muralwork, and most recently chalk. He took interest in street art in 2015 after visiting a local festival in Elmira, New York, in which he has since placed second and been awarded best of show. Jesse is in love with color both subtle and vibrant, and creating images that make an impact. He is most inspired by nature, where he spends much of his time backpacking, observing and learning.

Jean E. Razulis

Ms. Jean E. Razulis is an artist currently using acrylic paint on stretched canvas to create large, bold, colorful figurative works of art.  An underlying theme of her work is the energy of life. As a child, Jean studied oil painting and pastels at the Randallstown Fine Arts Academy.  On a full Seagram’s Scholarship, Ms. Razulis earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts at the University of Maryland.  She later attained an MFA from the Mt Royal School at MICA.  Ms. Razulis has displayed her work at local, regional and national venues, including the Palm Springs Desert Museum where she won the Chavant Award.  She has created commissioned pieces for businesses and groups, including Crabtown Project crab  sculptures for the University of Baltimore and Loyola University.

Hector Diaz

A native of Florida, Hector Diaz began many years ago as a self taught artist.  Much of what he has learned has come from his interaction with and observations of other great artists he has met throughout his career. As a street artist, Hector’s preferred medium is chalk and as part of the “Chalk Guys” duo, he has created many 2D and 3D paintings for festivals and commercial clients alike.  Hector also creates murals and has a successful Graphics Design business catering to several regional and national clients.

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The Chalk Guys (Ken Mullen and Hector Diaz) chalkguys.com

Tonya Youngberg

As an artist, Tonya Youngberg is one who loves to explore all types of art, Tonya has grown into a artist who loves to work in color, texture, form, and content. This approach has led to the many areas in which Tonya work has included street painting, murals, fine art, installation art, temporary and permanent art. Tonya’s work of art is produced with a fresh set of ideas, and ways in which to in-gage the Imagination. Her goal is to encourage at least one person to create a piece of art in any medium.

She  has been featured at numerous street painting festivals has worked on projects such as Exhibition sized pieces as well as international events. Her work has won numerous awards, Tonya works in all mediums of art including paint, digital concepts and pencil and taxidermy. Tonya has been creating art as a street painter for over 10 years and has competed in numerous events as well as being  a  member of the International Street Painting Society. Tonya is a mother of two and lives in West Bountiful Utah.

Robin Craig

Robin Craig has been painting since he was 6 years old. He is a self-taught artist.  His meticulous attention to detail would be described as somewhere between photo realism and pointillism.  His preferred medium is acrylics although he did paint in watercolors when he was younger.  Last year he painted his first mural “Raise a Glass to Freedom,” for the Little Italy Madonnari Arts Festival and this year he will try his hand at chalk.

Nas The Artist

Nas the Artist was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. He began his art journey taking up graphic design at Mergenthaler High School before transferring to Perry Hall. After graduation, Nas attended CCBC with aspirations to obtain an A.A. degree in Business Administration.  Nas decided to pursue entrepreneurship full-time without looking back. He began to teach himself various forms and styles of art all while developing his own style. With inspiration coming from photography, cartoons, music, madonarri, sports, history and much more, Nas formally introduced his own style of art called Artistco. (the ability to use creativity to make an impact) Since then, Nas has started his own business and has received comission work from various clients. He hopes to gain more notoriety while making a positive impactful difference on millions of lives around the world. Through Faith and prayer, we shall get there. This is Artistco.

Sebastian Sears

Sebastian Sears is a Baltimore-based artist focusing on themes of disassociation, technological sentience and the unlikeliness of being. In addition to creating several murals, his artwork has also been exhibited at Maryland Art Place, the Creative Alliance and Gallery 788. Sears is also a frequent contributor to local theater productions.

Bridget Cimino

Bridget Cimino was born and raised in the Baltimore area.  She received her bachelors in Fine Art from The Maryland Institute College of Art in 2004, and since then has worked as an artist doing decorative painting, historical restoration, illustration, murals, and fine art.  She has many of her original murals all over Baltimore City, as well as decorative and restoration work done all over the Maryland, DC, and Virginia. She has done work as an artist for hire for many companies in such places as The Baltimore Basilica, The Engineer’s Club, The US Capitol Building, and many private residences and businesses.  She lives in Baltimore with her Boyfriend and their two cats.

TOVEN

TOVEN is a Baltimore native who began writing graffiti at age 15. He moved to New York City to attend NYU where he discovered the wider world of street art of downtown Manhattan. He has brought the influences of graffiti, street art, and illustration back to Baltimore where he divides his time between art on the streets and street inspired art in galleries.

Alex Fine

Alex Fine was born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Upon graduating from MICA in 2004, he decided to stay in Baltimore where today he lives and works as a freelance illustrator. Alex’s clients include Time Magazine, Newsweek, WIRED, Boston Globe, Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Observer, and he has a weekly column that he illustrates for the Baltimore City Paper. His style reflects influences of vintage comic books, 90’s rock posters, and various eras of editorial illustration.  alexfine.com

Jeff Pilkinton

The first thing I remember drawing was Peter Criss, The drummer from Kiss. This had to be way back in the 70s? It must have been terrible but I remember my family telling me how great it was. Well that’s all I needed to encourage me to keep going. Over the years I have always loved drawing and creating. But what really got my fire burning was doing chalk festivals. The first one I did was so much fun and exciting. I also recently discovered painting advertisements on storefront windows is something I am very passionate about.

I use many different mediums, such as soft pastels, acrylics, and spraypaint. I believe that working in a single medium is restrictive to my artistic process. Each idea manifests in its own individual style.

I am inspired by Pop Culture. Movies, TV, and Music. I’m sure you can see it in my work.

http://jeffpilkinton.com/

 

Chloe Elswick

Chloe Elswick was raised in the DC area and moved to Baltimore in 2000 to attend MICA, where she mainly studied drawing and photography. Since graduating, she has done architectural model building, sign painting, CAD drafting, laser cutting, chalkboard art, and some unplanned woodworking. Her art is influenced by astronomy, architecture, planetary science, and shiny things.

 

Jasmine Pilkinton

Jasmine Pilkinton is a 17 year old chalk artist who has won numerous awards and has partnered with her father, Jeff, in painting murals as well as chalkboard designs.  She will be attending St. Francis University in Fort Wayne in the fall.
www.instagram.com/rosetintedjasmine

Martha Simons

Martha Simons is a graduate of Indiana University where she majored in Fine Art, specializing in Painting and Textile Design.  As a student, she utilized her fiber crafting skills by working as a costume designer for the opera.

Upon moving to Baltimore, Martha truly embraced mixed media in collaborative and public venues.  She designed and wrote a crochet symphony in which each participant learns one simple stitch and passes the work to create a more complex final project.  Long before yarn bombing became the rage, Martha was installing her free range doilies – hand crocheted cotton mandalas affixed to abandoned row houses – to create spots of beauty and to encourage people to wake up and look around.  Her most recent fiber creation is the embodiment of a 4 foot tall crocheted Kali, the goddess of Creation and Destruction.

She is known as the “chalk lady” by kids and adults in her southeast Baltimore neighborhood who meet every Wednesday night to create sidewalk drawings within a weekly theme.  In addition to enjoying the creative act of making something beautiful – just for the joy of it – sidewalk art also teaches the lesson of non-attachment since the colorful creations are washed away by the rain within days, or sometimes minutes, of their creation.

Martha has surprised patrons of a local watering hole with “Pop Up Ping Pong Table Craft Nights”, featuring low-brow printmaking and mixed media Valentines and  she designed a collaborative process titled “Pass the Hat” – origami hats folded by small groups in public venues.  She has also orchestrated hands on “Art to Dine For” fund raisers for the Creative Alliance including 3D “Guide Birds” sculpted from the East Baltimore Guide newspapers.

Martha moderated a group of local artists who met monthly to “Make Something”.  She surprised them each month with a new “thing” (an emptied, flattened and ironed teabag, a discarded mint tin, a left over bathroom tile . . .) and challenged them to come back to the next session with the new and altered “thing” that they have made.  She also posed a new question for the group each month, such as “What natural phenomenon do you most closely resemble?”

Much of Martha’s personal work reflects her commitment to veganism in the interest of treating animals, the earth and our bodies with love and compassion. Examples can be found on her Facebook page Martha Simons-Stelladog Creations.

Keri Lounge Lombardo

Keri Lombardo is a graphic designer, painter, and street artist who lives and works on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Born in Baltimore and raised in Pasadena, she is a local Maryland artist who is influenced by the shore life and eclectic happenings in the city of this beautiful state. After receiving a scholarship to play softball at the University of Maryland College Park, she graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology. Studying movement of the body furthered her understanding of illustration and encouraged her to move forward with her art career. She completed a B.A. from Salisbury University with a concentration in Graphic Design where she received a number of awards. Currently, she designs for an apparel company while also exhibiting her colorful works of art in galleries on the Eastern Shore.

 

http://www.klkreatives.com/

Andrea Carlson

Before Andrea Carlson earned her degree in classical guitar at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, she was a fine art major at Columbia College (Chicago). She has continued to create art in a wide variety of mediums — sculpture, painting, pottery, and drawing. Her favorite souvenirs are now the plein air “sketches” she does in between concerts and music making. Her growing sketchbook contains street scenes of many European cites and towns, as well as her current home town, Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Andrea is an award winning composer, guitarist, singer, and band leader of “Andrea Carlson and the Love Police!” She began touring Europe with her music in 2013 and has changed her itinerary each year, to include Paris, Lyon, Amsterdam, Brussels, Geneva, Berlin, Prague, Bratislava, Florence, Barcelona, London, and Edinburgh. This August she performed for the 5th consecutive year in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival! The stars will align for her in Baltimore when she opens the Festival on the Acoustic Stage on Friday, September 8th at 11 am.  Andrea will showcase her chalk painting by day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Graham Curtis

Graham Curtis began streetpainting 17 years ago, at the newly formed “Italian” Street Painting Festival as part of the annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College PA.  He has been a featured artist over the past several years.  He has taken part in Festivals in Pennsylvania, Michigan, California, New York and Georgia.  While he favors realism, portraiture and the “classical” styles, he also creates “3D” Anamorphic pieces which are fun and challenging.

Graham grew up in the UK.  As a child he remembers seeing street artists (screevers) doing wonderful miniature reproductions on the pavement outside the National Gallery in London.  Like so many children, seeing what can be accomplished with chalk was fascinating.  One of his favorite delights 50 years on, is the interaction, while working on hands and knees, with the little ones who stop to look.

The nature of this artform is delightful.  The process allows the viewer to witness each artist’s technique.  The temporary nature of the art, the comradery of the artists at streetpainting events is unique and a very rewarding experience.

Michael Las Casas

Michael Las Casas is an award winning street painter of 25 years. Experienced in a wide variety of subjects, from master reproductions, animals, racing cars, classic aircraft and dinosaurs.

He has been a professional artist his entire adult life, and has been drawing, painting ever since he can remember. Michael’s career spans almost 35 years of graphic design, and fine arts. Studied Fine Arts at the University of Wisconsin and is currently an eight-year veteran Adjunct Faculty member of the Armory Art Center, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

His thoughts on street painting, aka “Chalking” are: “I find it rewarding to engage the crowd, teach them a few tricks for those who ask, and the conversations with the children, sometimes, can be quite comical.” Of all the “art” venues I have participated in my life, to me, there is little that compares to “chalking” and the opportunities that are afforded to me to see new places and make many new friends from around the world. I can’t think of anything else I would rather do.”

David Lepore

Originally from Rhode Island, and now residing in West Palm Beach, Fl….  I   have been drawing since I was a kid. I never had any formal training, except for a few classes here and there. I took a about a 20 year hiatus from art, until about 9 years ago. .. when I saw my friend doing some street painting in Lake Worth Fl. I told him I wanted to try it. The following year I did, and I was hooked. I attend 7 to 10 events a year. I really enjoy doing portraits of iconic actors and or people. My motivation is entertaining the crowd with my art. If I can do that, I’ve had a successful event. I also very much enjoy the camaraderie with the artists. I currently do this as a hobby, as I own a flooring and interior painting company. I love the events and I love the people that attend and really appreciate art. Thanks for coming to see me and the other artists.

Lester Mendoza

Lester Mendoza was born in Honduras in February 1973. He graduated Honduras’ Fine Art School in 1990. He’ is experienced in all types of paint and has a wealth of knowledge in art and craft. Lester does professional faux finishes as well as murals.

He studied with the Florida Painters Apprenticeship Program in West Palm Beach, Fl. for three years to become a professional painter muralist and works for designer and privates clients. He has participated in many art exhibitions and has won numerous awards in Honduras and the US.Lester is reliable, honest and excellent in his work. He currently lives in Palm beach, Florida. USA

Concordia Preparatory School

Concordia Preparatory School strives to  inspire its students to find broad, personal, unique and interdisciplinary solutions to whatever problem they choose to attack. “We want our students to get their hands dirty…” and we can’t think of a more fitting project than the art of the Madonnari.  The team of students  will participate  under the direction of art instructors, Marcie Barth and Martha Bainbridge. The  artists are as follows:

Avion Brooks
Jonathan Davis
Grace Edwards
Janiya Foreman
Evelyn Kowalczyk
Amy Kurian
Lyla Martin

Baltimore School for the Arts

The BSA Visual Arts curriculum, under the direction of Archie Veale,  is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in basic skills and techniques as well as the means with which to think and talk about art. In the first two years students are introduced to a wide variety of media and techniques as well as the dynamics of composition. Upper level students build upon skills and techniques learned previously and are encouraged to experiment and discover a vehicle for personal expression.  Students gain a strong sense of professionalism through experiences in the school and in the art community, locally and regionally and acquire the skills necessary to produce portfolios aimed at gaining access to scholarships and the best art colleges.

Ariel Brown

Ariel Brown is an upcoming artist straight out of high school. She has taken a year off from college to pursuit her passion, painting. Art has been a part of her life since she can remember. She has been actively pursuing her hobby since 4th grade, and has created many pieces throughout the years. Her focus is in realism, surrealism, and impressionism. The colors utilized typically are from a bright, vibrant color palette of blues, pinks, and purples. She works a lot from her creative dreams, which is a big inspiration for her. Now, working under Michael Kirby and Shawn James, she learns from master muralists in order to gain experiences and learn the trade. She is Bel Air local, but moving into the Baltimore scene to showcase her work.