Erik Greenawalt is nowadays a respected chalk artist who exhibited his chalk drawings at numerous art festivals and created art for all sorts of high-profile brands. But a decade ago, he was just a dad looking to make his daughters happy.
Greenawalt, who worked most of his life in corporate finance, started his art career when his toddler daughters Jaycie and Jenna asked him to draw some of their favorite cartoon characters with chalk on the driveway of their home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Not wanting to disappoint his princesses, Greenawalt obliged, but little he knew this wouldn’t be enough.
Pleased with the outcomes of their first requests, Jaycie and Jenna soon started demanding more elaborate drawings from their dad. Greenawalt kept on saying yes to all of them and soon earned the nickname “The Chalking Dad.”
Since then, Greenawalt has continued honing his skills and creating grand pieces of chalk art at events all across the United States. His favorite subjects are portraits of celebrities and sports heroes, but he will gladly go outside his comfort zone for the right opportunity or when his daughters come up with another driveway drawing wish.
Continue scrolling to check out some of Greenawalt’s best works.
