Chalk Paintings on Pavement
In 1990 I entered the magnificently enchanted life of an I Madonnari, the group of artists who reproduce old masters’ work in chalk on pavement. It is an old Italian tradition of artisans advertising their skills after working in a cathedral to show off their skills to be hired for the next job. In California, Kathy Koury brought the practice to Santa Barbara in the late 1980’s to help raise money from sponsors for art classes in schools after Prop 13 wiped out those funds.
I participated in 3-7 street paintings festivals a year for nearly 30 years. Here are a few favorites as well as some close-up details images. They are often washed off the street after a two day festival. Some are let to wear off over months when in a plaza or parking lot.

The Praying Man

Santa Caterina Del Sasso

Indian Girl – Redwood City Plaza

Bee Prosperity by Greg Spalenka

Penguin The Magpie – Detail

Angel – Sacred Heart School

Portrait – San Rafael

Noah & His Magpie, "Penguin"

San Mateo Street Painting

Abstraction From an Alphonse Mucha Image - Pleasanton

Abstraction From an Alphonse Mucha Image

Original Image Artist: Marianna Seger

Blooming Goddess Detail

Mt Tam, George Demont Otis

Fire & Ice Mandala, Original of mine

Fire & Ice in San Luis Obispo

Sultan's Desire in Santa Barbara

Alphonse Mucha – Pleasanton

Sistine Chapel Ceiling in San Rafael, 2001

Second To Last Supper, Valencia Collaged from Raphael & Maxfield Parrish

Palo Alto reference was old master's work

Detail of a William Bouguereau image

William Bouguereau – San Rafael

San Luis Obispo, Lady

"Twin Sisters, One Soul" Original by Mara Berendt Friedman

2009 Memorial For Liz & Bob

Alphonse Mucha - Palo Alto

The Mermaid, 1910, Howard Pyle – San Luis Obispo

Sole Y Luno – my original – Palo Alto

Angel of the Snow Leopards

Saturnino Herran - 1910 abstracted detail of a Mural "Frisos de los dioses Viejos"

Abstracted from Alphonse Mucha - Palo Alto

La Bell Dame San Merci – Sir Frank Dicksee 1902 – Featured Artist in San Rafael
Credits
All the layouts and image selections were done by me. Although I do create many of my own images, or use my own photos or collages as references, within the traditional art of Street Painting, I Madonna typically made enlarged reproductions of known old master’s works that hung in the local cathedrals. So that is what many of us did for years in the beginning; we reproduced images of masters who were long gone. Occasionally I used a living artist’s image and generally got their permission to use their image as a reference for recreating it in chalk on the pavement. Eventually I used my own original images and designs. Below is a list of the images that are not mine with a reference to original artist and the title as I could identify it. Your forgiveness for any missing information is appreciated. I was not able to re-find some references for all at this time. What was once easily available on the web at the time the street painting was completed years ago… is less easy to find so many years later.
Also, many of my street paintings in the first ten or so years were completed on site with assistants. My most consistent diligent co-creator was my wonderfully talented sister and Graphic Designer Megan Miley - Santa Barbara.
Bee Prosperity – Greg Spalenka – Contemporary Artist
Angel –
Noah Bloom & Penguin the Magpie - Photo by his dad Cameron Bloom
Indian Girl - Redwood City Plaza – Assistant: Jodi Richardson
Saturnino Herran - rearranged detail image of a larger mural image of his – Assistant: Leesa Whitten
Alphonse Mucha abstraction – Pleasanton - assistant: Jani Gillette
Marianna Seger - Contemporary Artist in SF Bay Area
George Demont Otis – a Plein Air painting of his Mt Tam, Marin, 1940-ish
Fire & Ice - my original - San Luis Obispo - assistant Jerry Logan
Sultan’s Dream - my original – Santa Barbara - Assistants Megan Miley, & Jerry Logan
“The Second to Last Supper” – Valencia – I collaged two separate artists paintings for the mock up – Raphael & Maxfield Parrish
Snow Leopard Angel – Contemporary Artist - assistant: AirBnB guest Becci
La Belle Dame Sans Merci – by Sir Frank Dicksee, 1902 – co-creator Megan Miley
Two Sisters, One Soul – contemporary artist – Mara Berendt Friedman - co-creator Megan Miley
Memorial For Liz Neese & Bob O’Donnell San Rafael 2009 - Assistant: Hugh O’Donnell
Mermaid – Howard Pyle – 1902 – Assistant: Denise Ladwig
Abstracted from Alphonse Mucha – Palo Alto - 2007 – Assistant: Jim Maclean
Sistine Chapel Ceiling -2001 - San Rafael - I was one of twelve main featured artists collaborating. We each had our own two sections to complete within the whole image that was 75’ x 25’. The drafting of the plan was done by lead artist Tracy Stum. And main other supporting artists completed the architectural structures between section. It took four days.