Chalk artist Naomi Haverland loves to create illusions on a large scale. She began painting at a very early age, but only discovered chalk art about 10 years ago. Her chalk work in particular has earned her many awards, most recently at the Denver Chalk Art Festival in Colorado (which I clearly need to explore further!). In addition to worldwide chalk art festivals, Haverland has been commissioned to create work for clients like Blick Art Supply, Microsoft, and Harley Davidson. Before the pandemic, she was creating a weekly 3D chalk piece on Amazon’s campus.
Though she hails from Colorado, Haverland relocated to Seattle a couple of years ago. Considering their rainy climate, it seems an odd choice for an artist whose preferred medium is outdoor chalk work, but maybe it’s the impermanence of the stuff that drew her to chalk in the first place.
“For the most part, I do chalk art on pavement. While the 2D chalk art is more impressive in person, the 3D chalk art is more impressive in photos, and therefore more marketable. I’m proud of the fact that I design all my own work (some chalk artists strictly do reproductions). I almost always use my own photographs as references to create my designs. This lets me control the lighting and angle more, so the composition is more striking. I also give a lot of thought to how the public will interact with the piece. That could mean the viewer is intended to pose with the image, or it could mean I present the viewer with an engaging prompt that invites them to think more deeply about the art. The unique aspect about chalk art is that it is created to be encountered and enjoyed at one specific moment and place. After that, it is washed away and only remembered.”
– Naomi Haverland interview with Voyage LA
You can see all of Naomi Haverland’s amazing work on her website and on Instagram.
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My OBT 
January 12, 2021 at 9:01 am
This is another posting that I want to give it ten stars because five are just not enough. The artist has to see what the finished art is going to look like. There are a lot of things that I could never been able to do and this is one of them. Unless there is some sort of spray the weather will remove them. What a shame. Hal
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January 12, 2021 at 11:03 am
I think she likes that the works are temporary. I, personally, would hate it! If I could make art like that, I’d want it to last forever.
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January 12, 2021 at 10:02 am
What a gift she has. I liked every one of them. Incredible!
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January 12, 2021 at 11:03 am
She really does have a gift. Such fun!
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January 12, 2021 at 11:24 am
Why are all of your photos going to instagram .
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January 12, 2021 at 8:10 pm
When I look at my posts, it shows a preview of Instagram photos as always. If you’re seeing links instead of photos, there may be a setting on your computer that has changed.
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January 12, 2021 at 8:36 pm
Hmmm
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January 14, 2021 at 5:46 pm
The pink flamingo with its ‘shadow’ has to be my favourite. Amazing stuff!
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January 14, 2021 at 6:02 pm
That one is great!
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