{"id":4228,"date":"2022-04-25T18:10:31","date_gmt":"2022-04-25T22:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/?p=4228"},"modified":"2025-01-28T09:18:18","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T14:18:18","slug":"picture-perfect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/2022\/04\/picture-perfect\/","title":{"rendered":"Picture Perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"
Olivia Lesbirel spreads joy \u2014 and everyday magic \u2014 through her chalk paintings that pop up across campus.<\/div><\/div>\n

By Jen A. Miller<\/p>\n

In spring 2021, chalk drawings started popping up on sidewalks around Seton Hall. First, the images were of bubbles. Then fish. Then scenes from Pixar movies, like the house-lifting balloons from Up and Remy the rat from Ratatouille, or from artwork like Vincent van Gogh\u2019s Starry Night. For the holidays, the Grinch made an appearance.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the art has included inspirational quotes, like \u201cBe who you are and what you feel, because those who mind don\u2019t matter and those who matter don\u2019t mind,\u201d along with a depiction of Dr. Seuss\u2019 the Lorax.<\/p>\n

But who was behind these elaborate \u2014 if temporary \u2014 day brighteners? At first, the drawings were unsigned, then posted on the Instagram account @chalkitup.shu<\/a>. In November, the artist came forward: physics major Olivia Lesbirel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t quite care if people knew it was me or not. That wasn\u2019t my point,\u201d she said. \u201cMy point was I wanted to add a little brightness and fun to campus.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lesbirel said she was prompted to start the project because she was bored during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and \u201cthere wasn\u2019t much to do on campus.\u201d She\u2019s from Ocala, Florida, so she couldn\u2019t get home easily either.<\/p>\n

So she bought a $1 box of chalk from Walgreens that contained 10 pieces of five colors, and got drawing. Her friends suggested she start an Instagram account. She did and added the name of the account as a tag on her work, so anyone passing by could see her previous work that had already been washed away.<\/p>\n

Not only has she gotten positive feedback, but she said that \u201cpeople stop to talk to me and tell me they like to do art, too. I just find that a lot of people get a lot of good out of it, so if I have the time, I will keep doing it as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

In one instance, she was in the cafeteria after finishing a chalk drawing, and someone asked her if she was the artist. \u201cI was covered in chalk, so I asked \u2018Why, what gave me away?\u2019\u201d she joked. She now works with four large boxes of chalk, but no other tools, to make her elaborate drawings.<\/p>\n

Lesbirel said that she grew up drawing and painting, and still considers it a hobby. She learned
\nmore about the possibilities of chalk art by attending events like the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts at Walt Disney World, which includes chalk art installations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe illusions they create are amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved art as a kid growing up, and I love seeing something I\u2019ve dreamed of come to life. What I mean by this is seeing something I love doing and it bringing joy to those around me.\u201d<\/p>\n

While chalk art may seem a long way off from the world of physics, where Lesbirel is focusing her academic energies, she said there is a connection, because creativity is a key part of the sciences.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s especially true when working in materials sciences and robotics. Lesbirel is experienced in working with 3D printers and began learning robotics in elementary school. Before coming to college, she also participated in robotics competitions, like FIRST Robotics, where teams of students from different schools were all tasked to solve the same challenge. Her favorite was the 2019 challenge called Deep Space, where teams played a game placing polycarbonate hatch panels and orange rubber balls on rockets and cargo pods.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to get really creative to solve some of these problems, especially if you have limited
\nmaterials,\u201d she said. \u201cI came from a team that didn\u2019t have a lot of funding, so we scrapped old projects to make new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, her favorite drawing has been van Gogh\u2019s Starry Night, and she plans to continue doing chalk art until she graduates. \u201cI think the world could use a little more happiness. I never know what\u2019s going on in someone\u2019s life, or the day that they\u2019ve had,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat I do know that for at least a few people, I have made their day a little bit better than it was, that means a great amount to me and hopefully something to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jen A. Miller is the author of<\/em> Running: A Love Story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Olivia Lesbirel spreads joy \u2014 and everyday magic \u2014 through her chalk paintings that pop up across campus.<\/p>\n

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