This quarantine had many people finding creative ways to lift each other’s spirits. For this mother and daughter duo, they turned to art to brighten up their sidewalk and make their neighbors smile.
A neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas, is bursting with color, all thanks to the creative talents of Jan Riggins and her 13-year-old daughter Olivia. The pair have been sprucing up their locality’s sidewalk with breathtaking chalk art since March. Their stunning drawings only have one mission – to spread cheer amid these unprecedented times.
It all began with a drawing of koi fish. One day, Jan went to her front yard and chalked out the koi. When Olivia saw it, she said she “wanted in on the fun” and asked if she could help with the next sketch. Jan agreed, and that same night, the two drew a gorgeous image of a butterfly together. Next came an orca whale. By this time, Olivia can’t wait to do more and drew a jellyfish and frog on her own.
Since then, the duo has added something new every day. Each of their creations never ceases to amaze with its beauty!
Because of their lovely sidewalk chalk art, their neighbors have something to look forward to when they step out of their homes. As more and more people saw their drawings, the two began receiving requests from the Facebook neighborhood group.
Their drawing of Mr. Potato Head, a character from Toy Story, has a touching backstory.
“Someone in our neighborhood messaged me on Facebook that her son was turning four and couldn’t have a party, and asked if we would come over and chalk something on her driveway,” Jan told NBCDFW. “We knew it would rain that day, so we used her porch instead. The family stayed inside until we finished, and we were able to watch his reaction from the car when he came out. It was priceless!”
Before COVID-19 hit, the mother and daughter duo used to join chalk art competitions across Texas for the past five years. In fact, they had one coming up, but it was canceled because of the virus. Jan was really disappointed, and that’s when the idea of drawing on her driveway and sidewalk came.
Aside from spreading joy amid the pandemic, Jan enjoys doing sidewalk art because she gets to spend quality time with Olivia and teach her new skills. Drawing together has become a great bonding time for them.
Even people outside their Marine Creek Ranch community are excited to these artists’ new work. Jan said that their FedEx delivery driver looks forward to driving down their street to take photos of their latest drawings.
Many neighbors have asked to pay them for their art, but the pair declined because they’re not doing it for the money. They just wanted to give back to their community. Since Jan and Olivia wouldn’t take payments, their neighbors show them their gratitude by donating pastels to add to their supplies.
Scroll through the gallery below to see some of favorite chalk drawings by this talented duo!
If you want to see more of their incredible chalk art follow them on Instagram.