Spreading positivity with a little bit of chalk

It was funny because as people started to catch on to who it was, the first reaction was usually, ‘Oh, I thought it was a kid.'”

JOSHUA BROSZ, sidewalk artist

If you were to step into Henry Hudson Park during the height of the pandemic you may have found messages on the tiles written in chalk reading “everything will be alright,” “this too shall pass,” and “don’t give up,” alongside beautiful flowers and colorful birds.

Joshua Brosz, known to some as “the chalk guy,” would go to the park almost every other day during the Covid-19 pandemic, stocked with some Crayola chalk, and draw two to three “masterpieces” a day. He’s kept up with the hobby ever since, inspiring others in the community, getting commission work. His passion has even resulted in a marriage proposal.

But how did it all start? Well, Brosz was one of the many overwhelmed with the pandemic.

The then 30-year-old was an essential worker at a locksmith and hardware store that was constantly bombarded by requests for cleaning materials and masks. He found himself in a cycle of working, going home, stressing and repeating it all over again the next day. Still, there were a lot of people who helped the store out by ensuring they had enough supplies. So, Brosz wanted to do something to give back.

“I remember specifically seeing posts on Facebook about kids and adults drawing like little rainbows and stuff like that to kind of give each other happy messages,” Brosz said, “And I figured well I might as well do something like that so I’m at least getting outside my house and in nature.”

Brosz began drawing at Henry Hudson Park on April 2, 2020. The park was only a few minutes walk from where he lived and the old stone tiles proved to be the perfect spots to blend colors. One drawing usually took the size of one park tile and could take him anywhere from a half an hour to three hours depending on its complexity.

His favorite subjects were flowers, trees and birds. Growing up Brosz and his three brothers were “military brats” and were constantly on the move, whether it be Oklahoma, Illinois, or Delaware. One thing that remained consistent though was his mom’s award-winning gardens on the Air Force bases. He took inspiration from morning glories and state flowers. As for birds, he had a big book of the world’s birds and always loved the color shift and vibrant colors they exhibited.

Drawing offered a distraction and made Brosz feel less overwhelmed about the current state of things. He would play quiet music, sit and just focus on the art.

Because the chalk wasn’t permanent he felt little stress about trying out new techniques and different combinations of colors.

If he drew something not to his standard it wouldn’t matter because the rain would act as an eraser. There was also a certain charm to the chalk’s temporariness and brittleness. There would be bike smears, footprints and chalky paw prints that told their own story.

It didn’t take immediately for Brosz to earn his title as “the chalk guy” though. For the first few months of drawing he barely interacted with anyone, mostly doing the drawings early in the morning before work or immediately after work when people were still keeping to their houses.

“It was funny because as people started to catch on to who it was,” Brosz said, “the first reaction was usually ‘Oh, I thought it was a kid.’”

One woman initially thought Brosz had fallen over when she saw him on the ground. When she saw the chalk in his hand, she excitedly told him she had been taking pictures of his work and sending it to her family in Japan. She told him that they loved his drawings.

As the months went on, people started to interact with his art more. There were those who would veer off path to see what he was up to and those who sat down to watch. There were points where he would have a constant flow of people circling his art as they did their walks.

Attention was not the only thing Brosz received though. He was told by the person who ran the cleaning crew that after he had placed his work down, kids in the neighborhood would show up and start mimicking his work in their own styles. There was even one dad whose daughter loved his art so much he ended up commissioning Brosz to draw a few things she loved for her birthday.

One of the most ambitious chalk drawings Brosz did though was the proposal to his now husband. He wanted to find a way to incorporate both of his partner’s late parents, who both had sort of symbol animals, into the proposal. He drew a blue jay representing his partner’s dad and a ladybug representing his partner’s mom paired with the words: “Will you marry me?”

Brosz timed the whole thing just right, drawing the proposal when his partner was asleep and before he made his usual walk in the park. As his partner took a look at Brosz’s art, Brosz was behind him with a ring. It was an emotional scene filled with tears and ultimately a “yes.”

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a lot of Brosz’s messages of hope are also aimed at the community and trans community who face constant discrimination.

Over the course of more than three years of drawing, Brosz has improved his art skills and turned into an avid birdwatcher. He constantly refreshes one bulk pack of chalk but estimates that he’s burned through at least three containers.

After things started to get back to “normal,” Brosz primarily did chalk drawings on weekends rather than every other day.

Because of the pandemic he now doesn’t go on a flight without a mask. There is always that lingering thought in the back of Brosz’s head that there will be a “round two.” The time period was kind of hard to put into words.

“The time frame, everything just got completely changed up so time didn’t feel right. You’d forget like days or weeks because your work schedule wasn’t the same. You’d be working a totally different schedule so nothing matched up mentally when it came to time. Time completely broke during Covid,” Brosz said.

During dark times Brosz remains hopeful by leaning on friends, remembering the impact people can have, and being a part of the community.

When the park has gatherings Brosz volunteers to do chalk work to get other kids and even adults sometimes to do their own work. While some may see his hobby as immature, Brosz does not mind. He guarantees that most professional adults likely have a hobby that they’re embarrassed about.

“It reminds us, have some fun,” Brosz said.

“You don’t have to be a child to do stuff.”