The Impending Doom of It

Some fantastic friends came to visit for the long weekend and on the way from the airport we stopped by a DC bar called Bourbon that features an outdoor deck, an extensive selection of guess what, and some pretty decent appetizers. As we were about to enter the bar we noticed and commented on a fairly elaborate sign drawn in chalk.

Coincidentally, the next day this ran in the Washington Post...

Patrick Owens was frustrated. As the bar manager for Bourbon's Adams Morgan location, he noticed more and more chalkboard stands on the 18th Street sidewalk advertising drink specials with bland happy hour cliches rendered in slapdash lettering. The lack of effort perturbed him.

So, although other bar managers seemed apathetic about the outdoor signs, Owens saw an opportunity to stand out. "It popped in my head," he says: "What if I put an insane amount of effort into it?"

Others might be frustrated working in the impermanent, fragile medium that is chalk art, but not Owens. "That's what made it special," he says. "The impending doom of it."

To view a gallery of Owens' chalk signs, click here.