The tradition of chalk art or street painting developed from Italian Madonnari who used chalk to render the Madonna and religious iconography in town squares during festivals and holy days. Fittingly, Jeanie Burns first encountered street painting as an art history student while living in Italy. Years later, she found the art form had made its way to the U.S., and even better, into her own neighborhood at the Lake Worth Street Painting Festival near West Palm Beach, Florida. She has participated there every year since 1996, serving on the festival’s board of directors since 1998.

For Jeanie, overcoming granular surfaces, unpredictable weather and constraints of time present the practical challenges of street painting, while interacting with people who stop to watch provides gratification.

She welcomes inquiries regarding participation in festivals, special events or private commissions.