Camille Grimshaw and her daughter recently were part of 95 worldwide artists who turned a Marietta, Georgia street square into a whimsical wonderland at the city’s professional chalk art festival. 

“The chalk art takes over three of those sides of the square,” said Grimshaw, who with her daughter, Erin, counted as two of those artists. 

Their piece, a glowing fairy, took 15 hours to complete. 

“I let Erin decide what she wanted and she picked a fairy. She wanted to highlight our two strengths. She loves drawing portraits and faces. I love making things look like they’re glowing with the lighting. The fairy brought those two together,” Grimshaw said.

Their process blends traditional and digital tools. 

“Sometimes we start with an image, or I have an image in my mind. Erin then spent several hours putting it through Procreate and I’ve added some things in Photoshop, so it’s pieced together,” she said.

Then, the two submitted two different fairies for approval from the prestigious festival – after they were accepted as artists.

While the two worked on their 10-foot by 10-foot square, their hands and clothes began to be coated by chalk. On either side were artists from Minnesota and Mexico. Onlookers watched from roped off areas as their reference became tangible – and temporary.

“It’s the hardest thing for people to understand,” she said. “We say to think of it like a musical performance; it happens, you enjoy it in the moment and then it’s over. I have a photo of a police officer standing on it soon after we finished as they were opening the street to traffic.”

Chalk art is no easy feat. 

“It’s a full-body workout and your back just hurts. I ran half marathons, and I have never had a half marathon be as difficult as a day of chalking. The next day I’m usually like, everything sore and just crawl into an Epsom salt bath,” she said. “But I like transforming nothing into something and having the community be there to appreciate it.”

Grimshaw, an art teacher at American Academy of Innovation, said the chalk art community is an important part of the experience.

“In the arts, there are built-in friends; it’s a built-in community ready to support you,” said Grimshaw, who created an online chalk art community which now has more than 450 members.

People joined the online group after chalking with her as she has traveled to festivals for decades.

“I started with the Chalk Art Festival at the Gateway and had no idea what I was doing,” she said about her first experience in 2005.

The next year she started the art festival at Elk Ridge Middle School, where she was teaching. Soon after, she helped start the South Jordan festival and has participated in festivals across Utah and the United States. This year, she has participated in festivals from Oregon to South Carolina. 

“Erin has been doing chalk since the very beginning. I have a picture of her on one of my chalk art when she was just a baby,” she said.

Erin Grimshaw is an award-winning artist in her own right. She graduated Bingham High School this past spring and is currently studying at Utah Valley University. She was named “Outstanding Student of the Year” at the 53rd Springville Art Museum All-State High School Art Show, received the Fourth Congressional District Award and received South Jordan Community Arts Champion Award amongst other honors. 

Camille Grimshaw, who also has received numerous artistic honors, said she, herself, always drew as a kid.

“It was something I did. I didn't ever understand that it was something that not everyone could do. I remember in sixth grade my teacher was the first person who hung up my artwork. It made me feel like, ‘Oh, it was worth hanging up,’” said the teacher who instructs about 100 students in ceramics, drawing and foundational art.  “Now, I want to give that positive feedback to the students I teach."

It took 15 hours for Camille and Erin Grimshaw to complete a glowing fairy for a professional chalk art festival in Marietta, Georgia. (Photo courtesy Camille Grimshaw)