Girl with a Pearl Earring, chalk style, by Elizabeth Estrada
Where en plein air meets street art, you’ll find Chalk it Up!, the 27th annual sidewalk-art contest hosted by Barbara Hughes, owner of Narnia Studios in downtown Hendersonville. Participants in five age categories had a sunny day on Saturday, July 16, to color in their blank asphalt canvas, and multiple winners in each category received goody bags. More than 150 artists of all ages came out to draw for the free event, and were given 20 chalk colors apiece to execute their vision. Elizabeth Estrada, the lone winner of the Professional Category, received a prize of $100 for her vivid rendition of Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” Hughes notes, “Lizzy has been participating in Chalk It Up! since her early teens. She was an artistic child who blossomed in her ability each year. This year, having become a newlywed and a new mother, Lizzy was determined to win the ‘Professional’ category. She changed tactics and decided on creating a portrait — and her choice paid off.”
Narnia Studios, A Heavenly Garden of Earthly Delights, 408 North Main St., Hendersonville, 828-697-6393, narniastudios.com.