This street painting is by a Chalk Festival artist, Cathy Gallatin. It is a recreation of an original oil painting by Thomas Richman Blackshear II.

Cathy Gallatin is an Oregon based muralist and chalk artist who believes her talent is a gift to be shared. Her passion for art came at an early age, when she had a dream that inspired her to start drawing. As an adult her works have been presented at festivals all around North America. She has worked as a professional illustrator, artist, and muralist for the past 12 years.

Thomas Richman Blackshear II is an African-American artist born in Waco, Texas and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Blackshear attended the Art Institute of Chicago and then American Academy of Art in Chicago. Blackshear worked for Hallmark Cards for one year after his 1977 graduation from the American Academy of Art. Many of whose paintings adorn Evangelical churches. He is also a sculptor and a designer of ornaments, often of African American themes. He also designed illustrations for numerous postal stamps issued by the United State Postal Service.