All over Southern California, people have discovered a way to help one another battle a new sense of isolation with a simple and universal antidote: Chalk.
Reassuring messages in the middle of this coronavirus pandemic abound on sidewalks and driveways: You matter. You will be OK. This too shall pass.
Julie Trujillo was delighted to discover these inspiring words chalked on the street in front of her Corona home. (Photo by Julie Trujillo)
Sisters Laney and Harper Bethea, ages 5 and 7, create art on a huge “mural” outside their Hermosa Beach home. (Photo by Katie Bethea)
Colton, 9, and Catelyn Hinson, 7, bask in their driveway artwork outside their Rossmoor home. (Photo by Natalie Hinson)
Ron and Merry Lloyd, ages 79 and 73, of Yorba Linda, admire artwork by their grandchildren, who decorated their driveway. (Photo by Noelle Ainslie.)
Talon, 10, and Daisy Mulvey, 4, help neighbors look on the bright side with their friendly message on a Garden Grove sidewalk. (Photo by Amber Mulvey)
Dogs like Abel may not need reminders to be happy, but humans do — especially during the coronavirus crisis. Seal Beach residents Kimberly Freely and her children created this sidewalk art. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Costa Mesa resident Terry Moore came across this inspiring message while on a walk. (Photo by Terry Moore)
Anya Petersen, 9, proudly displays her sidewalk affirmation in Rossmoor — minor misspelling and all. (Photo by Virna Vallagomez)
Luz Kronus of Seal Beach came across this message, what everyone needs to hear right now. (Photo by Luz Kronus)
Patty Furuya came across affirmative messages while walking her dogs in Westminster. (Photo by Patty Furuya)
Kate Hutten, 11, suddenly home-schooled due to the quarantine, received an anonymous thank you note from a neighbor after chalking a beach scene outside her Seal Beach home. (Photo by Louise Hutten)
Sherrie Sara Ramos and her kids entertained themselves with sidewalk art in Westminster. “It’s a great reminder that we can still find the good in the bad!” she said. (Photo by Sherrie Sara Ramos)
Barbara Casey and her daughter Becci Casey have had “some great reactions” to their decorations on a Westminster sidewalk. (Photo by Barbara Casey)
Anna Wells of Westminster said she loves the sidewalk messages springing up “in such an artistic, positive and neighborly way.” (Photo by Anna Wells)
Twins Bella and Bryson Vance, 12, cheer up passersby outside their Rossmoor home. (Photo by Summer Vance)
Shanel Mollica and her children wanted to spread “joy and optimism” with their uplifting chalk art in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Shanel Mollica)
Livia Talbert, 6, draws positive pictures on the driveway of her Fountain Valley home. Livia is home from school due to the coronavirus epidemic. (Photo courtesy of Megan Talbert)
Maureen Linehan and her kids have been missing Disneyland, so paid tribute to it on their Rossmoor sidewalk. (Photo by Maureen Linehan)
Camille Freeman, center, and her seven-year-old twins Sydney and Lachlan, decorated their Garden Grove driveway with inspiring messages — writing “everything will be okay” in both English and Spanish. (Photo by Camille Freeman)
Therese Carey Pontrelli has goats, a pig and a pony on their Yorba Linda property, where people stop by to see the animals. Over the weekend, people left behind inspiring messages along her fence. (Photo by Therese Carey Pontrelli )
Ben Gillett, 10, rode his bike around his Huntington Beach neighborhood to write uplifting messages on driveways. (Photo by Courtney Gillett)
Erin Winett was pleasantly surprised to find chalk drawings while on a walk in Rossmoor — such as this one thanking deliverers. “I hadn’t heard of this movement prior to seeing these,” she said. (Photo by Erin Winett)
Tustin resident Donna Perry expressed her love for country in her sidewalk chalk drawing. (Photo by Donna Perry)
Steve Yohai said that spotting this sidewalk message while walking his dogs, Gidget and Sawyer, brightened his day. (Photo by Betsy Yohai)
Vanessa Borquez chalked positive messages outside her Garden Grove home. “I’ve been so proud of our community and the way we’ve come together,” she said. (Photo by Vanessa Borquez)
Evelyn Hendriks leaps for joy after chalking the walkway outside her Westminster home. She invited neighbors to add their own art in the boxes she drew. (Photo by Shannon Hendriks)
Seal Beach resident Barbara Sperling spotted what she calls a “dose of positivity” on a walk. (Photo by Barbara Sperling)
Neighbors go all out on a Huntington Beach sidewalk. (Photo by My-Phuong Trieu)
Rohan, 2, and Parth Arora, 5, write messages for Westminster neighbors to see. One neighbor responded by hanging out a sign reading, “Miss you.” (Photo by Monika Arora)
crystal Lee, rossmoor
Davie and Daxton Lee clearly choose job on the driveway of their Rossmoor home. Mom Crystal Lee wrote the words and they colored. She works as a nurse at HOAG. (Photo by Crystal Lee)
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Donna Smith of Los Alamitos and her family painted a replica of the famous “Great Wave” by Katsushika Hokusai to “spread joy” during the coronavirus crisis. (Photo courtesy of Donna Smith)
When Pat Lentz, 81, found this artwork on the sidewalk in front of her Seal Beach home, she found a piece of chalk and wrote “thank you.” (Photo by Jennifer Snyder)
Tustin sisters Steffi, 4, and Sophia, 10, Louise Keefe have a bittersweet message for their friends. (Photo courtesy of Louise Keefe)
Paurvi Trivedi came upon some creative chalk art while walking in Rossmoor. (Photo courtesy of Paurvi Trivedi)
Dorothy Sailor, 9, works on her chalk art outside her Trabuco Canyon home. (Photo courtesy of Pamela Sailor)
Karrie D’Auria and her dogs Wednesday and Harlow enjoy a nice message on a Westminster sidewalk. (Photo courtesy of Karrie D’Auria)
With school closed, Christina Silva and her daughter Sophia got busy writing inspirational messages on Garden Grove sidewalks. (Photo courtesy of Christina Silva)
A chalk artist channeled Van Gogh on a Los Alamitos sidewalk during the coronavirus shutdown. (Photo courtesy of Angie Puhl)
Sidewalk art in Monrovia offers reaffirming words. (Photo by Penny Arevalo)
Julie Trujillo was delighted to discover these inspiring words chalked on the street in front of her Corona home. (Photo by Julie Trujillo)
Terry Diersing, with her daughter Hanna, 16, left, decided to break the stay-at-home doldrums with chalk art in front of their Huntington Beach home. “We cant change the wind but we can adjust our sails,” their message read on Monday, March 23, 2020. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cat Gwynn came across these “heartfelt chalk creations” during a walk in her Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz. “Making art as a way to be with your feelings and state your desires is so powerful. It certainly stopped me in my tracks.” (Photo by Cat Gwynn)
Cat Gwynn came across these “heartfelt chalk creations” during a walk in her Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz. “Making art as a way to be with your feelings and state your desires is so powerful. It certainly stopped me in my tracks.” (Photo by Cat Gwynn)
Tyler and June Wilson help their daughter create positive art outside their Redondo Beach home. (Photo courtesy of June Wilson)
Kristen Lin, 7, wanted to “send a message of love and hope” in her Redondo Beach neighborhood. (Photo by Vivian Lin)
Children unable to attend school are being encouraged to decorate the sidewalk in front of their house with chalk
in Long Beach on Tuesday, March. 24 2020. Encouraging messages are springing up for those getting fresh air in the neighborhood during this time of “safer at home.”(Photo by Brittany MurrayPress-Telegram/SCNG),
Belle and Brody Bixby encourage kindness in their La Habra neighborhood. (Photo by Maureen Bixby)
Children unable to attend school are being encouraged to decorate the sidewalk in front of their house with chalk
in Long Beach on Tuesday, March. 24 2020. Encouraging messages are springing up for those getting fresh air in the neighborhood during this time of “safer at home.”(Photo by Brittany MurrayPress-Telegram/SCNG),
Kristen Lin, 7, wanted to “send a message of love and hope” in her Redondo Beach neighborhood. (Photo by Vivian Lin)
Riley McDermott, 4, proudly displays her name, chalked on a Torrance sidewalk. (Photo by S. McDermott)
Children unable to attend school are being encouraged to decorate the sidewalk in front of their house with chalk
in Long Beach on Tuesday, March. 24 2020. Encouraging messages are springing up for those getting fresh air in the neighborhood during this time of “safer at home.”(Photo by Brittany MurrayPress-Telegram/SCNG),
Enie Chae says she brightened up the sidewalk” outside her Torrance house to “send positive messages out to the neighbors who pass by.” (Photo by Enie Chae)
Thank you notes and good wishes decorate a Torrance sidewalk. (Photo by Jennifer Rysanek)
Kristen Lin, 7, wanted to “send a message of love and hope” in her Redondo Beach neighborhood. (Photo by Vivian Lin)
Charlie and Penny St. Clair, ages 5 and 3, helped their mom brighten their neighbors’ day in Hawthorne with chalked messages. “We will get through this together,” Rachelle St. Clair said. (Photo by Rachelle St. Clair)
Thank you notes and good wishes decorate a Torrance sidewalk. (Photo by Jennifer Rysanek)
Sisters Laney and Harper Bethea, ages 5 and 7, create art on a huge “mural” outside their Hermosa Beach home. (Photo by Katie Bethea)
Doug Dechow and his wife Anna Leahy came across these “unexpected moments of delight” while walking in Old Town Orange. (Photo by Doug Dechow)
Emily Holmes, 8, chalks words of wisdom outside her Torrance home. (Photo by Kristine Holmes)
Tyler and June Wilson help their daughter create positive art outside their Redondo Beach home. (Photo courtesy of June Wilson)
Sophia and Olivia Radke, ages 4 and 2, ” felt so proud” to “bring joy” in their Torrance neighborhood with kind words, their mother said. (Photo by Totran Radke)
Thank you notes and good wishes decorate a Torrance sidewalk. (Photo by Jennifer Rysanek)
Sawyer and Hunter Dawson, ages 5 and 7, do their part to keep spirits up in Hawthorne. (Photo by Brandy Dawson)
With mom’s help, Dylan and Evan Patel, 5 and 3, chalked rainbows and flowers at their Torrance home.”It was so comforting to do something simple and yet meaningful,” said Vinika Patel. (Photo by Vinika Patel)
Enie Chae says she brightened up the sidewalk” outside her Torrance house to “send positive messages out to the neighbors who pass by.” (Photo by Enie Chae)
Katey Lynch practiced her calligraphy on a Lomita sidewalk. spreading the message of unity. (Photo by Katey Lunch)
Neighbors go all out on a Huntington Beach sidewalk. (Photo by My-Phuong Trieu)
Sophia and Olivia Radke, ages 4 and 2, ” felt so proud” to “bring joy” in their Torrance neighborhood with kind words, their mother said. (Photo by Totran Radke)
With mom’s help, Dylan and Evan Patel, 5 and 3, chalked rainbows and flowers at their Torrance home.”It was so comforting to do something simple and yet meaningful,” said Vinika Patel. (Photo by Vinika Patel)
Belle and Brody Bixby encourage kindness in their La Habra neighborhood. (Photo by Maureen Bixby)
Katey Lynch practiced her calligraphy on a Lomita sidewalk. spreading the message of unity. (Photo by Katey Lunch)
Charlie and Penny St. Clair, ages 5 and 3, helped their mom brighten their neighbors’ day in Hawthorne with chalked messages. “We will get through this together,” Rachelle St. Clair said. (Photo by Rachelle St. Clair)
Benjamin DuFour, 4, wears “half the chalk,” his mom notes, after scribbling messages outside his Gardena home. (Photo by Amy DuFour)
Julie Trujillo was delighted to discover these inspiring words chalked on the street in front of her Corona home. (Photo by Julie Trujillo)
Shannon Morris and her six-year-old son, Keahi Eggum, support their Torrance neighbors with messages chalked on their driveway. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Morris)
Michelle Clark saw inspiring chalk messages around her Torrance neighborhood, and decided to contribute. “Such a great idea!” she said. (Photo by Michelle Clark)
Julie Trujillo was delighted to discover these inspiring words chalked on the street in front of her Corona home. (Photo by Julie Trujillo)
Julie Trujillo was delighted to discover these inspiring words chalked on the street in front of her Corona home. (Photo by Julie Trujillo)
Doug Dechow and his wife Anna Leahy came across these “unexpected moments of delight” while walking in Old Town Orange. (Photo by Doug Dechow)
Doug Dechow and his wife Anna Leahy came across these “unexpected moments of delight” while walking in Old Town Orange. (Photo by Doug Dechow)
Neighbors go all out on a Huntington Beach sidewalk. (Photo by My-Phuong Trieu)
Arianna Ko, 5, shows off her artistic talents outside her Irvine home. (Photo by Chairo Ko)
Everywhere and at the same time, the “chalk your walk” movement sprung up organically and charmingly. Some images are no-frill words of inspiration. Others are elaborate, colorful murals.
And they are all ephemeral – vulnerable to raindrops and footsteps.
Children suddenly stuck at home – no school, no play dates – sit outside drawing public art. Adults now cooped up with computers – no office chitchat, no dinners out – scribble uplifting messages to keep everyone hopeful and sane.
“When I went out for a walk Saturday, the artwork was a total surprise,” Rossmoor resident Erin Winett said. “I’m presently going through chemotherapy, so I especially loved the ones that said, ‘Do you have loved ones worth staying home for? I do.’”
With gyms closed and yoga classes canceled, more exercisers have turned to walking – often led by blissful dogs, who no doubt love the extra time with their humans.
“I’m not a not a regular walker, and usually get bored walking,” said Westminster resident Anna Wells. “The art is a very pleasant diversion for me. It’s nice to know that neighbors are keeping themselves busy in such an artistic and positive way.”
Ironically, the act of quarantining has built bridges. Thanks to sidewalk art, Los Angeles resident Tamara Krinsky now strikes up conversations with neighbors she never before knew. “It only took a pandemic for us to meet face-to-face – from six feet away.”
Krinsky and her 9-year-old daughter made it a mission “to spread some cheer in the neighborhood” with chalked messages. While they were at work, a jogger slowed down to take a look.
“She smiled and said, ‘Thank you so much! This is exactly what I needed today,’” Krinsky said. “At this time, when we’re all craving human connection, it was a lovely moment.”
For Hawthorne mom Liz Hartman, chalk art offers not only entertainment for her kids but also a little calmness in the storm. “I’m a physician assistant in the emergency room, so I try and decompress with my twin toddlers when I get home,” she said. “They love requesting pictures, and I draw them for all our neighbors to enjoy.”
Ron and Merry Lloyd, ages 79 and 73, normally look after their grandchildren during the work week. But the risks associated with coronavirus mean that they cannot interact with the young ones. So instead, the kids came over to decorate their Mission Viejo driveway with big hearts and sweet sentiments – grandparents watching from afar.
“Our hearts are sad to not be together, but we know that Grandma and Papa’s health is more important right now – so we went chalking,” said the couple’s daughter, Noelle Ainslie. “It brightened their day and also ours.”
In Yorba Linda, Therese Carey Pontrelli’s property backs up to a walkway where people stop to admire her pony, pig and goats. Now the pavement is covered with affirmations. “Being bombarded with all the negative things going on in our world, this little act means so much,” she said. “We are all in this together.”
Kids have stepped up to show neighbors they care. Evelyn Hendriks, 11, drew squares on her Westminster walkway, set out chalk with a sign inviting passersby to contribute. Ben Gillett, 10, rode his bike around his Huntington Beach neighbor, chalking good tidings along the way.
On Torrance social media sites, neighbors prompted one another to embrace the trend. “It’s a tough time for kids stuck at home right now,” said Totran Radke, who took her own children out chalking. “The art and decor we are adding brings joy and makes people feel loved.”
Another Torrance mom, Vinika Patel, said, “It was comforting to do something simple and yet meaningful as we hoped to provide a sense of community during this uncertain time.”
Pat Lentz, 81, was so enchanted to find a childlike sketch of a sailboat outside her Seal Beach house that she fetched a piece of chalk and devised her own creation – a heart with the words “thank you” inside.
“Seeing families at the park playing ball, riding bikes and walking dogs takes me back decades, to the simple joy of human connection without benefit of electronic devices,” said Lentz’s daughter, Jennifer Snyder. “Human connectivity remains the singular curative for the anxiety of this chaos.”
