Watch your step! That might be someone’s dream home, favorite cartoon character, puppy dog, or dinosaur under foot. These images and more were drawn at the free, community chalk art bombing on the plaza sidewalk at The Outlet Shops of Grand River this past weekend. 

Professional three-dimensional chalk artist Katie Bush created two original patriotic works, one of a Corgi dog wearing a star spangled outfit and another of a bald eagle wearing a birthday hat surrounded by an American flag and balloons to inspire kids and adults to also chalk bomb the sidewalks.

Bush chatted with teenagers interested in how she got started as a professional chalk artist, and how she creates her monumental size works. She provided kids with stencils of stars, planets, and various shapes.

“I get asked a lot about how I got started as a professional chalk artist. It wasn’t planned. I used to work at an art museum in Georgia, and one of my jobs was to put together a chalk festival for professional artists. I saw the professionals drawing on the pavement, and thought I really want to do that. A few years ago I worked my way into drawing at my first chalk festival in Florida, and now I take my art on the road. I am really excited to be here in Leeds, Alabama,” said Katie Bush. 

Throughout the weekend, a constant stream of folks – from toddlers to teens, parents to grandparents, saw the chalk bombing and picked up buckets chalk and added to the chalk adventure. When Miss Leeds Area Braidyn Lazenby and Outstanding Teen Coco Green viewed the art, young Kylee Hoffman enlisted their support to help her complete her pastel drawing of her dream home.

“Sidewalk art changes ordinary walkways into adventures to other dimensions,” said Christine Szalay Strange, Vice President of Operations at The Outlet Shops of Grand River. “It was exciting to provide people with sticks of chalk and see what appears. There are some really great artists in our community. One teenager drew a dragon’s eye, and another drew a tribute to his favorite fruit, the pear.”

The chalk art bombing ran for three-days, Friday through Sunday, prior to the Fourth of July. “We were delighted to offer our plaza sidewalk for the community to express their patriotic and artistic visions. It was fun community building,” said Strange.

The back-to-school sales tax holiday is July 20 through July 22. During the tax holiday weekend, The Outlet Shops of Grand River will have extended hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.