Sidewalk Chalk

This past weekend was a flurry of.... surreal activity. So it was only fitting that I should stumble across a 3D chalk painting as I moved about the city. Julian Beever is world famous for his sidewalk chalk drawings. Or more accurately, the photos of his work are world famous.

By Sunday afternoon, the ground in Amsterdam's Beursplein was covered with a beautiful image of tulips and the stereotypical bowl-of-fruit.

But it was the process that created this image that was the interesting part. Starting Friday, Julian worked for three days. He used a small table with some tulips and a bowl of fruit. This was his model. And he had a digital camera on a tripod. This was his view of the "canvas". He chalks a little, inspects the work in the camera's view screen, then chalks a little more. He works right from the very start of his project to ensure that the finished art (photographs) will match his precise desire.

One of the most interesting parts of such work is how the actual image on the sidewalk needs to be completely distorted in order for the camera lens to see the finished product properly.

Looked at from the side opposite the camera you'd be hard pressed to say what it was. But from just the right angle, Wow!