For Immediate Release
June 2, 2009
RE: Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival Winner
Contact: Lisa Bullwinkel 510.548.5335

PRESS RELEASE

WINNER OF THE CHOCOLATE & CHALK ART FESTIVAL

Over 150 daring chalk artists, young and old, greenhorn and professional, showed up to decorate the sidewalks of the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley this past Saturday during the 13th annual Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival.

For the second year in a row, the first place winner was Imad Obegi who drew “Swine Flu Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” which may still be viewed near 2113 Vine St. Commenting on his piece, Imad Obegi said, “the idea of the “Swine Flu Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” came to me when I was having fun with the thought that the day has come when pigs can fly – ‘Swine Flu.’ A week or so later…during a meeting, the phrase “Swine Flu Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” came to mind. The more I thought about it, the funnier it sounded. The fact that the world went crazy over the possibility of a swine flu epidemic and the fact that the H1N1 virus strain is a combination of the bird flu virus and the swine flu virus needed to be conveyed as a comical image. I added the dots to represent viruses shedding from the pig’s body but not to be so explicit as to ‘downer’ the humor of it. The pig is happily flying, oblivious to the fact that he is targeted to be terminated despite the fact that it wasn’t all his fault. At first I created an image of a flying pig with Jack Nicholson looking up at the sky all crazy-eyed. Then I thought that Jack looks so different now and that kids won’t get the joke. I had a lot of fun during the day in creating the artwork...some people asked, “Why is the pig happy?” One kid responded best in saying, ”If I was a pig that could fly, I would be very happy.”

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More artwork and other winners are posted at www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com