Each chalk festival is presented with its own challenges. The two that hit hardest are rain and HEAT! This year, the Italian Street Painting Marin event fell victim to 90+ degree days. calculating the heat absorbency of the black slurry, the street surface temperature reached an incredible 156.2 degrees. Yes- That’s 20 degree more than is needed to fry an egg. (Bill Nye tested it, and it can be done!)

That heat did not stop Shelley Fagin and I from completing a stunning 8’x8′ adaption of Mucha’s “Moon” from the art nouveaus’ movement. With Shelley’s eye for detail, she recreated lush vegetation from her own garden to brighten up the floral wreath around the figures head. While she tackled the small details, I quickly worked my way through the larger areas trying to beat the heat (and the event’s timeline). We did it though! We finished our masterpiece just in time for the professional photographers as they made their way down the street capturing more that 80 artists works.

Italian Street Painting Marin is held in the heart of San Rafael, California just in front of the Mission. It’s a tree-lined street with a guaranteed afternoon breeze so despite the heat, the setting and the attendees made the sun tan lines worth every minute.