By Emily Drooby
On July 8, Jennifer Marino-Bonventre blended together blue and white chalk, a way to create the illusion of fur.
“I’m blending colors to make Sully look like a furry monster,” she explained.
Sully is a character from Disney’s Monsters Inc movie, and part of Jennifer’s latest creation.
It all started back in March when Jennifer drew Winnie the Pooh. The drawing was a hit.
“We were sitting in our house and we heard children outside very excited and we heard, ‘Oh, look Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh.’ So, the next day I came out and drew something else,” she said.
The Catholic woman and public school English teacher began creating daily pieces with inspirational quotes. She did it to lift the spirits of her neighbors during the pandemic.
The first-time chalk artist did lots of research to figure out what works best. She dedicated over 100 hours to make others happy during this difficult time, and it worked.
“And one lady actually said to me, ‘Do you really think everything is going to be okay?’ I think I wrote that for Snow White,” Jennifer recalled. “She actually says that. And I said, ‘Yeah, I hope so.’ But it was really affecting people.”
It’s a kindness neighbors noticed.
“It just gives a little joy to everybody. She does that every day, kids come by and they see that and they just see the remarkable work that she does,” explained Jennifer’s neighbor, Jeff Durante.
People have dropped off chalk, flowers and even signs to show their gratitude, for her talent and for the hope it brings.
While Marino-Bonventre won’t be able to do it daily, she does plan on continuing to draw the art for her neighbors after the pandemic.