Art in Los Angeles / Festivals around LA / Pasadena

Aliens at the Pasadena Chalk Art Festival

by carollightwood
Herbie Chalk art Pasadena
A car as a movie hero–what better image at a chalk art festival in Southern California.

It is a double-header in Pasadena: the Alien Con is at the Convention Center and across the street dozens and dozens of chalk artists are creating works on the Plaza at Paseo Colorado.  And it was very crowded on Saturday!

halk Art Festival at Paseo Colorado Pasadena
This year the sky was overcast. Usually the festival happens in blazing hot sunlight. Perhaps the cooler weather is why the crowd was much larger.

I went at noon on Saturday and most of the artists were just beginning. First they drew an outline of the picture they planned to create, then painstakingly started to fill in with removable paint and chalk.  It all gets power-washed off the plaza on Tuesday.  Here is some of what I saw in 2018.

Punk at Alien Con
This guy was racing through the Chalk Fest on his way to Alien Con. He asked for beer money after I took the photo.
Guy Fawkes Masked chalk artist
One chalk artist came in his Guy Fawkes mask. Did he go to the Alien Convention afterwards?
Chalk art painting Pasadena 2018
Equal opportunity art at the Pasadena Chalk Festival. There seemed to be as many women artists participating as men artists..
JPL chalk art pasadena
Who says scientists can’t be creative? This art was being created by 3 people from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The design looked a bit hap-hazard to me but it was still in process.
Pasadena Chalk Art Festival 2018
For some people creating the art was a group effort made up of family and friends. Is the design an abstract landscape?  Or something else?
Starting design Chalk Festival Pasadena 2018
What appeared to be a father and son duo beginning their work.
Chalk Art by Jacqui Somo
The artist, Jacqui Somo, seemed to be further along than most other artists at the event.
Two womens heads Chalk Festival
By noon this artist had completed these 2 heads of women in the Art Nouveau style. There was a lot more to go.
The festival overflowed Paseo Colorado and these 20 artists were working in the forecourt of the Pasadena Convention Center where Alien Con was happening.

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