Eduin Rosell: Exploring the pros and cons of chalk art

• Eudin Rosell
• STREET CANVAS: Eudin Rosell working on a piece in 2013.

Eduin Rosell may not seem like your typical artist. He works full time in information technology and has a LinkedIn page that could make any technophile green with envy. Yet in his spare time, Rosell takes up an art form that many find intimidating: chalk art.

“As a chalk artist, you have to understand that your art — no matter how much effort you put into it — is going to disappear,” the Cuban-born Rosell says.

Rosell was one of dozens of chalk artists who was in town for the annual Marietta Chalkfest. Creative Loafing spoke with Rosell about the difficulties and magic moments that come with using chalk as an artistic tool.

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So tell me a little bit about what it is you do.
Well actually, my full-time job is not as an artist. I'm actually an information systems coordinator. I've been in IT for many years. I started doing art probably about 13 years ago, and I've been doing it ever since. And I do everything; I do acrylics to oils. I started doing chalk stuff about two years ago. It was just a request. Someone was just like, “Hey, we've got some cement, if you think you can use that.” I've done a lot of pastel work in the past … and working with pastels and chalk are pretty much the same, so I was like, “Sure!” And I love it. It's awesome.

How does chalking compare to other forms of contemporary public art?
As far as technique, I don't really find it that different from pastel. The difference is really more of what I see as a psychological part of it. You create this art — whether you hold on to it or sell it or put it in a gallery — to kind of see how much it's worth. But with chalk, you realize that it's going to disappear in a few hours, maybe a day. It's going to be gone, no matter how much effort you put into it. And I think that that's the hardest part. And so I think that as a chalk artist, you have to understand that. You know it's going to go away. All you'll have left is pictures of it. So you have to be able to realize that things are going to disappear, they're going to break down, they're going to be gone. You won't have this piece of artwork hanging on the wall.

Sounds like it can get emotionally difficult sometimes.
Yeah, there is an emotional part to it. I think as far as technique, I really respect chalk artists, because they put so much out there.

What kind of chalk do you use for your art?
The first time I started out, I was using pastel, not oil based, just standard pastels, or just a normal chalk. But the cost of those is pretty high. So some artists out there make their own chalks, or they buy them from folks. There are some people who have their own formula to make their own chalks. They tend to be a little softer, so they kind of break down more when you put them on the ground, so you're not having to scrape a lot. So what I did for this year's Marietta Chalkfest, and for the last month and a half, I've been doing the same thing: creating my own chalks. I can have the colors that I need for specific works. I have been a little bit more focused on creating the right chalks now that I'm doing the chalk work a little bit more. It makes it easier. You spend less time going through store bought pastels, which you go through like crazy.

Do you ever do requests?
Yeah. Having the full-time job and stuff, doing the art is really a disconnect for me. So anytime someone says to me, “I want a commission” or “I want you to come out and do this,” I'm really open to it just because it's a great way for me to unplug from real life.

What's your favorite subject to chalk?
Over the years, I've liked to combine the stuff that I like. I like to change it up just to challenge myself. I've done a lot of cars so I like very shiny surfaces. I generally try to incorporate those kinds of things, whether they be cars or motorcycles. I've done a lot of commissions, I've drawn people. And, you know, I'm Cuban-American, so a lot of my early artwork has a lot of scenes from Cuba and old Chevrolets and those types of things. I've realized I really like to do a lot of the chrome and shine and glass. That's what I love. I'm trying to bring that realism to chalk art.

Does your chalk art come from your mind, or do you use something as a guide? Would you say most chalk artists do the same?
From talking to other chalk artists, what I see a tremendous amount of is planning. With chalk art, it requires so much layout. I have seen folks do things where they come out and do things for a picture without a layout. I think with me, being in IT, I like the process. I'm a planning person and a process artist, so I like getting my grid laid out, although I don't always necessarily go by an exact image. Sometimes I'll go by three images. I'll like something from each.

What's the best thing about using chalk as your artistic medium?
It's not easy to work with. It's not like working with oil or acrylics. Acrylics are very forgiving. You can paint over them. Chalk is not an easy thing to work with, and that's what I like about it. It's challenging. You have to be careful how you work around it, you have to watch your knees. It's a challenge, and that's what I love.