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Brittany Shepler

@bretagnemae

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Capricorn | Scientist | Doodler ✍🏻
Just an engineer who chalks on the weekends.

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Life is brief, but when it’s gone, love goes on and on.

Colorado
2.2012 - 8.2026

This is a reality we knew was coming, but one we could never be fully prepared to meet. After a truly incredible life of 14.5 years, almost 11 of which was spent by our sides, my husband and I laid our best boy and my favorite muse to rest. Each and every day with him was brimming with an unmatchable sweetness. For that reason alone, we are so, so blessed.

If you have a pup at home, tell them I say hi, and maybe sneak them some french fries or chicken nuggets today. Those were always Rod’s favorite.

Until we meet again. 💛

Our Boy, 52.5 sq ft, c. September 2026

[ID: A portrait of a smiling dog. His fur is various shades of gold, his nose is pink, and his tongue hangs out of the side of his mouth. His eyes are focused on the viewer and reflect the world around him. He wears a blue-green bandana and the background behind him is made of various shades of blue.

#chalkart #streetpainting #petportrait #memorialart by @bretagnemae

Holy cow! Talk about an amazing weekend at @uptownchalktheblock’s event!

A sincere thank you to all the folks that ran this event and the other artists that decorated the pavement. It was an honor to be invited to participate in all the fun, and everyone was so “udderly” kind. I personally can’t wait to see how this event continues to grow.

Cow, 40ish sq ft, c. July 2023

[ID: A portrait of a cow’s face. It has brown fur with white spots. It’s nose is gray and pink. It’s horns, muzzle, and ear are sticking out of the background. There are two butterflies flying above the picture as well.]

#chalk #art #chalkartist #streetpainting #cow #moo #animalportrait #somerset #pennsylvania #uptownchalktheblock #havechalkwilltravel #holycow #udderlyridiculous #puns #artistsoninstagram by @bretagnemae

It’s my birthday and I’ll post my favorite chalk piece from this summer if I want to. ♥️

This piece was heavily inspired by Red Riding Hood. To say the least, I’m very proud of this one, and I know my chalk art community was, too.

Queen of Wolves, 49 square feet, c. July 2022

[ID: A woman with bright red lips stares at the viewer while a large white wolf looms over her shoulder. She wears a crown, cape, and many jewels. She looks like she’s posing a challenge to the viewer.]

#chalk #art #chalkart #chalkartist #queen #wolf #royal #beautiful #majestic #artistsoninstagram by @bretagnemae

We did it. 🥹✨Chalk the Night officially became the first glow-in-the-dark chalk art festival in the nation!

And getting there was so much harder than we ever imagined.

The weather this past weekend was relentless. Our incredible artists had to restart their pieces three different times, and our exhausted staff essentially set up the festival three days in a row as we adapted, rebuilt, moved equipment, protected artwork, and tried again.

There were definitely moments when we wondered if we could pull it off.

But we did.

Utah City glowed. ✨ Thousands of people walked through enormous neon chalk murals illuminated under UV light, danced at the silent disco, created art, and experienced something that had never been done before.

There is something pretty special about getting to say: we were the first.

An enormous thank you to @bretagnemae who led the research and testing behind safely using the specific UV lighting needed to bring these murals to life.

And thank you to @utahcityutah for believing in this crazy idea, presenting and hosting Chalk the Night, and helping us create something completely new.

We are beyond exhausted. We are incredibly proud. And we already can’t wait to see where this goes next. 💜

#harringtoncenter #chalkart #chalkartist #chalkpastel #sidewalkchalk by @bretagnemae

Sometimes ya just gotta draw a ✨sparkly horse✨ in all its downy glory.

Despite two rounds of torrential downpour and many a washed-out piece, everyone carried on and did their best to make it work. That’s real magic right there.

Thank you to the folks at @visitdelcopa and @thechalkingdad for including me in this year’s event! It was a joy to work alongside y’all.

Cloudwalker, 52 sq ft, c. August 2026

[ID: A painting of a unicorn on asphalt. The unicorn has its head bowed and its mane is ruffled as if it was just shaken. The unicorn is made up primarily of shades of white and blue with accents of gold, lilac, and pink. Its horn is bright gold. Wisps of hair can be seen on its chin, chest, and legs. The background consists of cloud like puffs of white and blue.]

#chalkart #streetpainting #unicorn #magic #fantasyart by @bretagnemae

There’s something about a small town that can make you nostalgic, and this year’s @uptownchalktheblock was no exception!

I had the pleasure of being partnered with the local libraries, and I cannot express how happy it made me to recreate this Beatrix Potter piece to honor their yesteryear theme! Her sweet illustrations definitely left an impact on my artistic journey, and it was wonderful to connect with folks of all ages as we talked about her wonderful stories.

Bonus shot: Peep the bouquet made by a local florist to complement the piece! I think it added just the sweetest touch. 🩵

Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny, 80 sq ft, c. June 2026

[ID: A recreated image on sidewalk of one of Beatrix Potter’s illustration. The piece features two bunnies in a farmer’s field. The bunny on the left wears a brown jacket and carries a full burlap sacks. The bunny on the right wears a blue jacket and holds carrots. They smile at each other while getting up to mischief. All around them are hues of green cabbages and foliage.]

#chalkart #streetpainting #kidlit #illustration #beatrixpotter by @bretagnemae

Meet Brittany Shepler! 💜✨

Brittany has often been described as “a chemical engineer who chalks on the weekends”. She spends her workweek pursuing her love for science and her weekends covered in chalk dust. It really is the best of both worlds!👩‍🔬

Brittany first encountered chalk art at her neighborhood festival in 2017 and quickly became passionate about both the medium and the community. Since then, she has made it her goal to continuously grow as an artist and advocate for arts programming.

Brittany loves to share joy and wonder with her audience, so her artwork regularly features animals, dynamic colors, and bright expressions. While chalk is her favorite medium, Brittany also enjoys using colored pencil and gouache paint. Outside the lab and off the pavement, Brittany can usually be found reading or tending to the many blueberry bushes on her farm in Massachusetts. 🫐

Who knew science and sidewalk art had such great chemistry? 🎨 Come watch Brittany mix things up! 💛

#chalkart #utahartist #streetart #utahevents #publicart by @bretagnemae

STORY TIME! ✨🐈

Once upon a time, @thechalkprincess was trying to convince me to apply to a chalk event in Italy with her. Having no experience with recreating masterwork pieces, I told her I should probably practice my classical work and anatomy before I truly considered applying to a traditional Madonnari event.

Nicole’s response was to jokingly send me this image she found, saying I could draw it if I was accepted. Deciding I should call her on her bluff, I agreed to draw it as a practice piece in my driveway if she actually went to Italy.

Well, the joke’s on me. My friend’s super talented, so of course she was accepted into the event. I broke out the pastels on the next sunny weekend New England gave me. Without further ado, I present…

Jesus and the Pussycats, 54 sq ft, c. June 2026

[ID: A painting of Jesus, standing amongst clouds, surrounded by heavenly light. Also cats. He holds up a chunky, fluffy orange cat above His head and smiles dotingly upon it. The chonky cat looks startled while the cats around them have a myriad of expressions that you’d expect cats to make. Additional slides include detail shots and my cat being an unwilling participant when I tried to take a photo of us that matched the posing of the piece.]

#chalkart #streetpainting #madonnari #portraitart #animalart by @bretagnemae

“What kind of shenanigans do you want to get up to for this event?”

@thechalkprincess and I decided it was time for the ol’ switcheroo! I’d say having complementary favorite colors is just one of the many reasons we make a good pair. 💛💜👯🏻‍♀️

The weather also decided it wanted to be included in our antics. We experienced 90+ degree heat, 30+ mph winds, ash falling from the sky, one very sudden thunderstorm, and a sprinkling of hail, all within a 36 hour window. 🫣 I really should learn to keep my mouth shut.

Shoutout to all the good sports who pushed through this year’s Chalk It Up, hosted by the @harringtoncenter! I’m sure this weekend will become the stuff of legends.

Complementary Portrait, 48 sq ft, c. June 2026

[ID: A portrait of a Black woman set against tones of pink, purple and pale gold. Her skin is a dark, rich shade of brown and her hair is pulled back into a puff. She’s wearing silver trimmed accessories and looking at the viewer. Her face is framed by dark purple flower petals. The following two slides show the complementary piece in contrasting warm tones.]

#chalkart #streetpainting #portraitart #complementarycolors by @bretagnemae

“Find your fulfilment. Find what you can do the slowest, for the longest and still absolutely love it, and go in that direction.”
- Christina Koch, NASA Astronaut

If you followed along with the Artemis II mission, you’ll likely recognize this photo of @astro_christina. Like most of the internet, I became completely enamored with it and knew I needed to add it to my chalk art roster for the year. I hope we never lose the sense of wonder and togetherness this moment inspired in many of us.

Thanks to @shawn.arts and the folks behind @maplegrovechalkfest for your tireless efforts in making this event possible, and to the @maplegroveartscenter for sponsoring my piece! We’re so, so lucky to have opportunities like this.

Aboard the Orion, 100 sq ft, c. June 2026

[ID: A painting based on a photo from the Artemis II space mission. Earth can be viewed through a window, glowing against a starry sky. An astronaut’s face is illuminated by the light reflecting off the earth. The astronaut’s braided hair is floating by her head due to zero gravity and she is smiling at all of us down below.]

#chalkart #streetpainting #artemisii #nasa #outofthisworld by @bretagnemae

No thoughts. Just vibes. 🦀🌅

This lil guy was part of a local community event. It was so fun to see so many faces from last year excitedly returning to the pavement. I can’t wait to see what everyone creates in the years to come!

P.S. Thanks @brandi.main.108 for saying yes when I very excitedly asked if you wanted to come color with me! 💛🩵 Our middle school selves would be so proud.

[ID: A painting of a crab on a beach. The sun is setting, so the sky and water are filled with bright colors. The crab is casting a long shadow and has a cutesy expression.]

It’s a Crab, 48 sq ft, c. May 2026

#chalkart #streetpainting #crab #sunset #animalart by @bretagnemae

My ideal Sunday? Naps, doodles, and learning animal facts.

This sleepy fellow is the critically endangered Amur Leopard. Named after the Amur River that runs through most of the leopards’ habitat, these cats live primarily along the eastern Russia and northern China border. Due to the snowy conditions that can arise, the Amur Leopard has evolved to have longer legs and wider paws than other leopard species. Neat!

The Amur Leopard population was reduced to only 30 or so individuals in the 1970s. Thanks to conservation efforts, including the development of protected territory known as Leopard National Park, the population has started to steadily recover. As of 2023, their population is estimated to be about 130 individuals in the wild and 220 in captivity.

Thanks to the folks over at the @endangeredspeciescoalition for their virtual chalk event! It was a super fun way to spend the afternoon.

Amur Leopard, 9 sq ft, c. May 2026

[ID: A painting of an Amur Leopard on pavement. The leopard is yawning wide. His fur is various tones of yellow with black dots throughout. His tongue and nose are bright pink, and he has many white whiskers. The background is full of shades of green.]

#chalkart #animalart #amurleopard #endangeredspeciesday by @bretagnemae