麻豆影院

People love to stand, sit, stomp and jump all over Chris Carlson鈥檚 work.

He encourages it.

A full-time professional artist based in Denver, Carlson (Bus鈥�08) travels the world painting and drawing directly on sidewalks, plazas and pavement. His artworks are pelted by rain and hail, walked all over and, eventually, washed or rubbed away.

You won鈥檛 find them in climatecontrolled museums and galleries (鈥淒on鈥檛 touch the art!鈥�) 鈥� but they鈥檒l stop you in your tracks as long as they last.

Carlson specializes in 3D, or anamorphic, chalk art, a genre that makes you feel as if you鈥檙e falling into a pit or staring face-to-face with, say, a larger-than-life cartoon character. Now six years into his career, he鈥檚 emerged as a premier practitioner of the form, creating original pieces at art festivals and conventions as far away as the Netherlands and Paris and working with the likes of Nintendo, Nickelodeon, Hershey and Disney.

It鈥檚 a line of work that traces its roots to the 16th century, when itinerant artists called 鈥淢adonnari鈥� traveled Italy painting on the ground, primarily religious figures.

Today, the subject matter is broader. Carlson draws heavily on pop culture, including video games and cartoons, to great effect.

鈥淐hris is an artist who really understands how to bring joy to people,鈥� said fellow chalk artist Nate Baranowski, who calls Carlson鈥檚 work 鈥渨himsical and playful.鈥�

Chalk art combines elements of fine art and performance art: Spectators watch the creative process unfold and chat with the artists as they work. Anamorphic chalk art is specifically designed for people to jump into the scene and pose for photos.

It鈥檚 not how Carlson, now 33, expected to make a living. For most of his childhood in Lakewood, Colo., he wanted to be a stockbroker; he bought his first stock shares in fifth grade. That鈥檚 what led him to CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 Leeds School of Business.

But as he got deeper into his finance courses, Carlson realized he didn鈥檛 have the stomach for playing with other people鈥檚 money. After graduation, he and his sister opened a hookah bar in Lakewood.

That鈥檚 when, out of necessity, he discovered his artistic spirit and aptitude: They couldn鈥檛 afford decorations.

During long, late nights checking IDs, Carlson worked through instructional drawing books and tried to sketch photos he saw in Time magazine. Eventually, he painted a backroom floor black and began experimenting with 3D art.

Carlson can thank his CU marketing professors for what happened next: He made a time-lapse video of himself drawing the video-game character Mario. It went viral on YouTube, and before long, he was getting chalk art gigs from companies, festivals, trade shows and conventions.

Carlson had never considered that chalk art might become his career. He didn鈥檛 imagine there was a market for the work, and he doubted his abilities as an artist. He still gets nervous before he starts drawing in public.

It鈥檚 a long performance: Each project takes between 18 and 55 hours, depending on size and complexity. On average, he completes about 20 large drawings per year. Some of his favorite projects depict a mash-up of a dog (inspired by his English bulldog, Banksy, who鈥檚 named after the world-famous street artist) and a purple dinosaur. Another combines Michelangelo鈥檚 鈥淭he Creation of Adam鈥� with a Darth Vader mask.

鈥淗is style is very fine-tuned,鈥� said Naomi Haverland, a professional chalk artist in Seattle who met Carlson at the Denver Chalk Art Festival. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a perfectionist. He makes sure the blending is perfect and the colors are just right. He doesn鈥檛 rush anything. But, then, his concepts are super creative, too. He鈥檚 got a well-rounded artist鈥檚 arsenal.鈥�

A Marie Kondo-esque attitude has also served Carlson well, in work and in life. He describes it this way: 鈥淛ust be open to what really brings you pleasure and joy or contentment and satisfaction."

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In the Fall 2019 print edition, this story appears under the title "The Everywhere Canvas."听Comment? Email听editor@colorado.edu.

Photos courtesy Chris Carlson听