When the Chalk Dust Settles, Dreams Can Become Reality

Erika Lalita found herself in a surreal place, while grieving the loss of her mother 7 years ago and a marriage that fell apart about four years after that. She was experiencing life as an adult on her own for the first time, with her son Phin, who is now twelve. The journey from that painful place has been a learning curve. Taking leaps of faith one after the other, she finds they continue to pay off in “deeper and immense ways.”

Working through the tragedy of the death of her mother, she learned to savor and appreciate the memories of what made her mom so “fantastic.” Her mother, who was a textile artist, utilized a loom to weave beautiful works of art. Erika is holding one piece in the photo to the right. She arrived at the realization that she now was able to pick and choose what she would do with her life. Erika was able to see the parts of herself that had come from her mom, including her creativity. 

Drawing had been something Erika had done since she could remember. While attending Shippensburg University for Psychology she made the decision to switch her major to Art, with a minor in psychology, one of the leaps of faith. During this time, she utilized chalk/pastels as a part of the mediums in her studies.

When she used the pastels “something just clicked.” What is it about the pastels for Erika? She says it is the layering, and the way that it spreads, allowing her more control. She uses a technique called color blocking, where she uses really messy strokes of color next to each other and blends them into the effect she is looking for. By knowing where to plant the color and playing around with the chalk dust, she is able to have better control of the design on a large scale using the powdery form rather than paint.

Several years later, while living in Buffalo, NY, a friend double booked two art events. Erika filled in for her at the chalk art festival. That is when it all clicked. Erika stated that “it lit me up; the spark lit in me.”  Erika joined this annual festival over the next few years. It was the only event but it was an invaluable resource. She learned more about the opportunities that were available and engaged with other artists who were on the national circuit of chalk artists. Erika began to question “What is my passion? What am I doing?”

While living in New York she began the adventure and series of leaps that would lead her to Grove City, PA. While contemplating whether to pursue a boutique farm, a dream of her mother’s, Erika gained knowledge and experience working on an organic farm in Buffalo. However, running into some structural issues within her housing, she was forced to make a change.

She then found herself back in her home state, Pennsylvania. Here, she pursued employment with a Butler organization doing community gardening and in turn found herself employed with one of our favorite organizations, Growing Together Aquaponics (GTA). Erika currently works part-time as a Supports Manager. She assists individuals with disabilities in learning job-training skills. This helps lead to competitive and integrated employment.

With all of her experience and plant knowledge, Erika is a wonderful asset. This position at GTA has also allowed her to have flexibility to pursue her chalk art career. She decided to follow up on an email about the traveling aspect of chalk art festivals. And she took another leap, with success, until the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the festivals. At that point Erika started doing pieces out of her driveway to keep relevant but also as therapy. It would be 2 years before festivals would begin again. Finally this summer 2023, events are in full swing.

One of Erika’s recent pieces was on that of a woman named Sofia Jirau, from Puerto Rico. Her website describes her as a model, entrepreneur, and philanthropist with Down syndrome who shows the world that “inside and out there are no limits.” What prompted Erika to choose Sofia as a subject for her chalk art?

She explained that some festivals have themes and the theme for the Perry Chalk Art Festival was THINK BIG. She had seen Sofia a month prior while watching a video of Sofia’s boyfriend, Chris Gonzalez. Chris runs a food truck in Puerto Rico and is also diagnosed with Down syndrome.

When Erika saw the video and thought about the theme of the festival, inspiration struck. She knew that she wanted to do a piece that represented self-advocates, like the people she works side by side with at GTA. Erika explained “I try to implement awareness and activism. And she (Sofia) is fantastic. I wanted to put her out there.” Sofia has become quite a role model. Speaking of modeling, she has become the first Victoria Secret model with Down syndrome.

While working on the portrait Erika observed, “People were actively looking her up and it was making people aware of the incredible feat.” The image of Sofia was tagged in a social media post with the story. Her friends shared it with her. Sofia’s Aunt messaged Erika with gratitude. Then Sofia shared the image on her social media and messaged Erika to thank her, as well.

The video of Sofia and Chris also reminded Erika of a gentleman that she works with at GTA. He is inspired to open a food truck. Erika and he are working together to help him learn the skills necessary to move forward in the way that he wants and to gauge his skills toward attaining his goals. One of these goals is to get into a kitchen to build on his culinary experience.

Erika understands what it is like to work to achieve your dreams and goals. She loves that her son, Phin, also has a passion for art. Though she thinks he may lean more towards tactile art, such as with ceramics and pottery, she is excited to share her knowledge with him.

As she continues to grow with her abilities, she has recently changed her chalking techniques when creating her pieces. This has allowed her to become faster with their completion. A piece that is 10×10, depending on the subject and the detail, can take up to 12-16 hours.

While there is no way to seal a piece to ensure its longevity, Erika shares “That is what I love about it. It is one of those life lessons, the art of impermanence and letting go. I say it is a metaphor for life. It is this blip of beauty that happens for the people to experience who are there and it leaves as a memory.”

You can see more of Erika’s artwork and where she will be participating in festivals on her website Custom Portraits & Chalk Art | East Aurora, NY | Sylph Art Studios You can also follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sylphartstudios/

For more information on Growing Together Aquaponics check out their website, Growing Together Aquaponics (gtaquaponics.org) or Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/growingtogetheraqua/

Keep track of Sofia Jirau’s activities as she continues to rock her No Limits Campaign, “which seeks to make visible the challenges facing the Down syndrome community, demonstrate our ability to achieve our goals, and raise awareness about the condition throughout the world.” Check out her website Portfolio | Sofia Jirau Model

Follow her on instagram https://www.instagram.com/sofiajirau/.

All images shared with permission.