| | Published July 17th, 2024
| Chalk drawings bring color to Saranap neighborhood
| | | By Elaine Borden Chandler |  | | Annie Andres, Lily Andrews, and Leah Andres with one of their chalk drawings. Photo Elaine Borden Chandler |
Amidst the Fourth of July traditions of grilling, fireworks, and parades, Saranap neighborhood has one that is beloved but unique. As two women at the Forma Gym informed their friends: "We're going to see the chalk drawings." At Annual Ponderosa Lane Fourth of July Celebration, the street was closed off and filled with people in themed outfits, American flags, and tables sitting in driveways waiting to be loaded with food. At the curve of the street, the pavement itself bloomed into color, covered by dozens of chalk drawings. The two artists behind this little local tradition are two teenage girls, Lily Andrew and Annie Andres.
Lily, wearing white crocs and a cowrie anklet, stood over the stars and stripes ice cream cone that she drew for the occasion. "I had chalk on my face and stomach and legs. My mom was like, `Did you fall in a pool of chalk?'" she said cheerfully. Lily is 13 years old and the fourth generation of her family to live on Ponderosa Lane. She said that probably everyone in the close-knit neighborhood knows Betty Crawford. "That's her great grandmother," explained Annie, pushing her long straight hair over her shoulder.
Next to the ice cream cone was an intricate and remarkably symmetrical flower that Annie, 14 years old and covered in paintings of stars and fireworks, had created. "I also helped my sister with that one," she said, pointing to a crescent moon. Her sister Leah Andres, the tallest of the three with long wavy blonde hair, occasionally joins the other two but also acts as chalk runner and car lookout. "Whenever Annie runs out of chalk, she just tells me to get more," she said looking amused.
The chalk drawing started during Covid when Fiona Greenaway, a neighbor, had several boxes of chalk that needed to be used. She and Annie started making drawings in the street, but soon Fiona stopped and Lily joined Annie. In the beginning, they mostly drew whatever came to mind. Now they often reference what other artists are doing on Pinterest and have become much more skilled. Lily noted that both her style and freehand have improved after drawing for so many years.
Their drawings on July 4 included flowers, delicate bubbles, a faded flamingo, a rippling American flag, Dumbo, a sun, and a coconut. Annie nodded to a bug-eyed rooster from "Moana," saying, "Lily did the Hei Hei there, which I really like." Annie drew an enormous whale shark, so enormous that it ended up causing some technical difficulties. Giggling, Lily said, "Annie was like, `I don't have enough blue, it's going to have to be different colors!'" Annie started laughing too. "I had no blue whatsoever!" As people walked by on their way to the children's bicycle race, the girls mused on what their next projects should be - Annie wanted to check her Pinterest board for chalk art while Lily said she had wanted to draw a Pacman.
Kayla Andrew, Lily's mother, enjoys whatever the girls draw. "It's so fun because it brings joy to so many people. And they love doing it, so all around it's a great thing," she said, standing in her festively decorated driveway. Annie's father Mike Andres, who was wearing an American flag jumpsuit, noted with pride that she has always had a flare for artwork. "It really livens up the neighborhood," he added, gazing over the drawings. "A lot of the neighbors come by to stop and look at it. They seem to come by during their evening walks just to see the artwork."
Gail Burnett is one such neighbor. She walks by every day with her friend Marlene to check out the drawings. She said that people in the neighborhood compare notes on which drawings they have seen. "The most recent one is really this spectacular, huge flower. It goes almost from curb to curb," she said. Several people mentioned the drawings had in particular given the neighborhood a spot of joy in their day during lockdown. People still take pictures of the drawings and ask Lily and Annie about them. Small children sometimes ask them to make specific drawings for their birthdays. "I had a neighbor ask if I could draw Spider-Man for their birthday recently," recalled Annie.
Other children also have drawn with them for a couple of weeks, especially kids who are new to the neighborhood. However, Annie and Lily are the ones who have kept on drawing for years. When asked what has made them continue, Lily chirped, "It's really people just coming by and saying that they love it." |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA