Charles Brown, of Spartanburg, S.C., draws a “color vortex” Saturday during Chalk It Up! in downtown Hendersonville.
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MICHAEL JUSTUS/TIMES-NEWS
| 5 and under: Molli Clark Mackenzie Barratt Phineas Smith Jonah Lanzetta Katherine Kelsch |
6-8 Years Old: Katherine Downs Grace Kelsch Zoe Capps Nora Lacy Sierra Wallace |
9-12 Years Old: Nicole Wellbourn Liberty Schultz Ryan Harper Quinn Kelsch Liam McBride |
| 13-20: Allison Gardner Kristen Brown Sam Benson Olga Skowronek Alisia Guerrero |
21 and older: Rachel Benney Bethany Gessler Johanna Fitzgerald Pam Gessler Tomoko Kobayashi |
Drawing For Charity: Professional: |
The white face chalked on the sidewalk resembled a black-and-white photograph with the lines, definitions and shadows. Allison Gardner, 17, of Clearwater, Fla., carefully inched around the drawing, filling in the eyes, the lips, the cheeks.
“I think chalk is perfect for memorials as it's made to not last,” Allison said, who was drawing philosopher Simone Weil.
“It creates immediate appreciation for art because tomorrow it will rain and it will be gone.”
It was the 14th Chalk It Up!, the chalk art contest held Saturday in downtown Hendersonville.
One-hundred-fifty kids and adults, professional artists as well as talented amateurs, took to the sidewalks.
With 20 colors in each box of chalk distributed to the participants, more than 3,000 chalk sticks were in use at the contest.
“Over half of these kids weren't born when this event started,” said Barbara Hughes, owner of Narnia Studios and organizer of the event. “It brings people to the town without being intrusive,” she added.
Allison was situated between two of her sisters. Abigail, 19, was drawing a family portrait in a bright array of colors, including an illustration of her dad on his motorcycle.
On Allison's other side was 16-year-old sister Avonlea was creating a montage of Harry Potter symbols.
A little down the sidewalk sat Anna-Lace, 21, who created a design of seven images of her sister Allison, from her days as a baby to her recent graduation from high school.
“I must say, I'm feeling a little intimidated by being next to Allison,” Abigail said. “I think it is one of the important events of the year,” she added on Chalk It Up.
“It's been a tradition,” said Anna-Lace. “This is the only day we get to enjoy each other and play like kids.”
“I think it's really great because everyone is so encouraging,” Avonlea said. “It's a great community event.”
The Gardners, with little brother Elijah, 13, have been drawing at Chalk It Up for 10 years. The family comes up each summer to Henderson County to organize a mission camp for high school students. The mission work is to repair and build homes for people in the area. Shannon Gardner, the mother of the children, said it's a lot of work through June and July.
“We started in 2001, so this is our 10th year,” Shannon said.
Last year, Allison designed a face of her late minister, the Rev. Dr. Elwyn Smith, who died at 90. He was a minister at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Clearwater, Fla. Her mother took a picture of that drawing and entered it into an art scholarship. More than 9,073 entries were made to the competition and Allison was chosen as one of the 24 finalists.
The chalk art is temporary, as the rains in Saturday's afternoon began the process of wiping the slate clean.
“Some things are made to be like that,” Allison said. “Otherwise, we would take it for granted. (Chalk) is a perfect medium for the community to get together and enjoy it.”
“I really think (Chalk It Up) has affected their lives,” said Shannon. “It's affected the people they have become.”
At the end of designing her sidewalk square, Avonlea showed the blue tint of her hands.
“I'm feeling pretty chalky,” she said.