Chalk artist wows Peters Township crowd
Kathleen Forejt works on her chalk drawing.
Kathleen Forejt works on her chalk drawing.
Kathleen Forejt completed the lighthouse scene in less than half an hour.
Drawing with chalk can produce quite the work of art, until the next rainstorm washes it off the sidewalk.
Kathleen Forejt’s creations, though, have staying power. She uses an actual canvas instead of asphalt, and when she’s finished, she uses some blots of hairspray to make sure everything stays in place.
The Scottdale, Westmoreland County, resident put her artistic talents on display for the first in a new series of activities for senior citizens held at the new Peterswood Park Amphitheater. The Peters Township Parks and Recreation Department presented the June 29 event, which was sponsored by South Hills Community Connect 19, a group of health-care professionals who work together in the area.
Starting with basically a blank slate, Forejt used an assortment of colored chalk to produce an inspirational scene of a lighthouse shining beacons on a sailboat, complete with trees, waves and seagulls. The endeavor took less than half an hour.
A painter by avocation, Forejt started working with chalk about 20 years ago and likes to perform, so to speak, to a medley of Christian music as she wows crowds, children included.
“Kids are totally quiet,” he said about their behavior as she applies chalk to a canvas. “They sit there and try to figure out what’s going to come next.”
What’s going to come next as far as the senior series is a July 27 program featuring storyteller Kim Adler, and on Aug. 24 is the intriguingly titled “The Beatles and Bagels.” The activities start at 10 a.m.
Forejt, after applying the protective spray, donated her work of art for a lucky program participant to win in a drawing. Presumably, it never will be left out in the rain.