Julian Beever

Julian Beever is an English artist that creates surreal chalk drawings on pavement surfaces. His art is sometimes so convincing that people avoid potholes he has drawn on a pavement. His nickname is "the pavement picasso". His chalk art can take days to create but only last for a short time after being stomped by pedestrians or destroyed by the elements. His art continues to live, however, by photographs taken at the time. Julian discovered his talent as an artist in the 1980's. The art of creating an image that looks real is called trompe l'oeil. He has worked in the UK, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the USA and Australia. There seems to be a common chain email letter depicting his art. This in fact is what inspired me to create this squidoo page. He used to work in Punch & Judy show and that's where he saw other pavement artists that inspired him to try it. The 3D aspect came later: "I decided to get into 3D after seeing the effect of tiles being removed from the street, and later trying to recreate the sense of depth in a drawing.