Interview with Jan Riggins
Photography courtesy of Jan Riggins

3D chalk artist Jan Riggins discusses how she was introduced to the medium, the unique challenges it poses, and why it has been special to collaborate on it with her teenage daughter.

What led you to chalk art?
In high school and college, I was a clarinetist. A big part of recitals is creating posters, which I loved to do. I eventually realized that I enjoyed art more but still earned my music degree. After graduating, I got a job at a staffing service, where I’ve been working for twenty-five years.

My mom had always painted with watercolors, which I dabbled in growing up. But I really grew interested in them when I was given my grandmother’s art supplies; it was like getting an entire store. A short time later, I entered the amateur division of a local chalk-art festival in Fort Worth. I won honorable mention, and I was hooked. The next year, after I won first place and people’s choice, they asked me to return as a professional. I was shocked that I could get paid for it.

In 2020, I was planning to do six festivals throughout the country, but COVID shut everything down. Instead, I continued drawing on my driveway and sidewalk. My daughter, Olivia, thought it looked like fun and asked if we could do one together; our first was a butterfly, which I posted in our Facebook Neighborhoods group. Many people there loved it and started requesting their own artwork. A local news station then did a piece on us, and before we knew it, we were being featured in places like Buzzfeed and on the Kelly Clarkson Show.

How did 3D art come into the picture?
Those news sources touted us as a mother-and-daughter duo doing amazing 3D chalk art—but the thing was, I knew it wasn’t actually three-dimensional. I started feeling the pressure to figure out that type of chalk art, so I worked at it until I did. It snowballed from there: I was being commissioned by companies and festivals and even started doing art internationally.

Living in Texas, how does the heat affect you and the materials you’re using?
Frankly, I usually don’t do much artwork here at all during summer because it gets way too hot—by afternoon, I can’t touch anything or even stand on blacktop and paint dries as soon as I put it down. I generally like figuring out how to make such challenges work, though.

Does Olivia still work with you today? Does she want to follow in your footsteps?
We created a ton of art during COVID, which played a big part in helping us get through the pandemic. Being in high school now, Olivia has a very busy life, so we just collaborate for events that she has enjoyed in the past, such as a festival in Kansas City and one in Florida. It’s awesome that she still enjoys creating with me, even though it’s few and far between nowadays. She has mentioned this being a great thing to do right out of high school for a little bit, but she has also been very adamant that this is my activity, not hers.

How do people react to your art?
It’s usually an “aha” reaction. When people first walk up to the art, it looks strange because it’s distorted. I tell them it’s 3D and that if they look at it through their camera, they’ll see what the image really looks like. I always stop and watch the moment it clicks for them, which never gets old. It’s also an excellent way to know if my 3D rendering works: I’m receiving immediate feedback that I wouldn’t get from painting something that’s destined for a gallery. I’ll often hear parents say to their kids, “If you keep practicing, you can do this too.” It’s true, and I like that I’m encouraging art and patience. I also like working on my craft in front of people, much like I did with music.

Do you plan to do this full-time?
Yes. In 2023, I discussed this with my boss, who let me continue working from home part-time three days a week so I’d still have a salary. I like this arrangement, especially as I plan the business part of my art career, but I don’t think it’s going to last too much longer. I’m closer to fifty than forty, and I feel like my window’s closing—how much longer will my body allow me to do this type of art? Also, I just can’t fit everything into my schedule; I have too many projects that require an entire week off. It is a good problem to have, though. I love my boss and company, but I think I’ll love being a full-time artist even more. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

For more info, visit janrigginsart.com