Redondo Beach About Town
Nell Turley and Penny Richards. Photo
Artistic family pair
‘goes with the flow’
at chalk art festival
Redondo Beach resident Penny Richards wasn’t shy as parents and kids alike came to admire her entry in this year’s Redondo Pier Chalk Art Festival, which she cheekily called the “Queen of Spades.”
“Oh, she’s pretty!” one girl said as she approached the portrait of a woman holding a shovel, framed by the words “Digging in the sand.” “Is she hiding treasure?”
“Maybe,” Richards replied cheerily. “If I were going to hide treasure, I’d do it at night time.”
It was nearly 4 p.m., and judging for the 16th annual festival was taking place. As Richards sat beside her work, fielding questions and compliments, her daughter continued her feverish pace.
A recent Mira Costa grad and current Otis College of Art and Design student, 18-year-old Nell Turley was squaring up the details on her piece, a mermaid among a field of kelp.
She was working hard, a bit lightheaded after working for nearly five straight hours, and had dots of chalk smudged on her nose and face.
Though the contest didn’t officially kick off until noon, Turley had been running through sketches and iterations of her design since the night before, which were immaculately inked in pen, lying beside books of mythical sea life she used as reference.
Richards – an artist who has been practicing in chalk for 10 years, but generally works in fiber and yarn – has been bringing her daughter to events since the girl was young, helping to mold her interests.
“We go about it in different ways, though. Mom likes to go with the flow,” Turley said, looking up. “I have to plan.”
The two were among the more than 150 artists at this year’s contest, which was eventually won by Torrance-based Shuji Nishimura.
Richards won an honorable mention, receiving a small gift card, which she immediately used to buy a basket of fish and chips for her and her daughter.