When was the last time you took a piece of chalk and decorated the pavement with your artwork? Many of us have such childhood memories, but this activity isn’t reserved just for kids. The artist Cuong Nguyen takes pavement chalk drawings to another level of refinement. The Vietnam-born artist has been a portraitist since age 10. Having graduated from high school, Nguyen was accepted to the Saigon Art Academy. He later immigrated to the US and earned a degree in illustration from San Jose University.
In 2001, Nguyen was encouraged to try a small street painting in San Francisco by his friend, the mural artist Sara Mordecai. That’s when Nguyen fell in love with the trade. He soon established a reputation for painting amazingly lifelike portraits on asphalt. He is now invited to participate in festivals around the world. We gathered some of Nguyen’s most impressive work below. Take a look.
