A couple of summers ago I posted a recollection about some chalk art from Palo Alto, CA. (https://davewaltersphotography.wordpress.com/2019/08/27/postcards-from-the-palo-alto-art-show/) I had fun talking to the artists and viewing their creations. One thing that caught my interest was the temporary nature of the art. The artists didn’t work quickly because their creation would be gone in a week. They took the time each drawing required. I stumbled into another two artists in Trafalgar Square this past summer. 

Trafalgar Square is in London. Commemorating the famous naval battle at Trafalgar and the Admiral Horatio Nelson who made the victory possible (with his ship HMS Victory), the public square is in front of the Royal Navy’s headquarters (also known as the Admiralty.) On a very warm and sunny day we observed two artists drawing flags from various nations around the world. Everything was in a neat grid. I didn’t take the chance to speak with them but rather enjoyed their work and how they set about to accomplish their self-appointed task. Every now and again someone would put some coins in a nearby hat (I assume they were pounds.)

Art, it seems, is a universal activity regardless if it is chalk on the sidewalk or music that fills the air. The music part of the day which came from Saint Martins in the Field, just across the street from Trafalgar Square, is a story for another day.