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Temporary art: Meet the guy who makes those elaborate, irreverent works of chalk art you've seen at bars around the city
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He's scheduled to do a board for Pharmacy Bar -- manager Andy Overton wants a beer list with a pharmacy-themed border, but Owens and bartender Mike Dillon are trying to persuade him to opt for a depiction of Dillon fighting a panther instead.
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On a sweltering summer afternoon, Owens ambles along the brick P Street sidewalk to Pizzeria Paradiso. Inside the Dupont restaurant's entryway is a 5-by-6-foot rendition of a map of the District as first drawn by Pierre Charles L'Enfant in 1791. A sweeping, sky-blue Potomac frames precise gray D.C. blocks. Small starbursts of color indicate the locations of the three Paradiso restaurants.
Owens pulls a pen from a cardboard box and gives it a quick shake before leaning his face close to the chalkboard wall and adding detail to a circle of laurel. He traces over the same vines multiple times, giving them more depth as he alternates greens and blues. His movements are quick and precise. It's a confidence that comes from knowing that if a line of chalk goes astray, all he needs to do is rub it away with a pencil eraser. Unlike regular soft chalk, chalk pen drawings can't be wiped off as easily. Paradiso bar manager Greg Jasgur got the pens to give Owens's delicate creations more permanence.
Owens has invested 27 hours over two months into this piece, squeezing in an hour or two of work between his evening bartending shifts and raising his 4-year-old son, Elliott, with his partner of six years, Laura Dove. "With this job, I've almost bitten off more than I can chew," Owens says.
Dove, a 41-year-old redhead with sweeping loose curls, has Lyme disease and also suffers from interstitial cystitis, a chronic condition that causes severe pelvic pain. Even though the family has health insurance, her frequent doctor appointments cost $1,000 a month. She works as a waitress at Hank's Oyster Bar twice a week but is usually laid up the following day because of the joint stiffness that comes with Lyme disease. Money is tight, and family time is precious. "It's been really debilitating, so it takes up a huge chunk of time. If it weren't for Patrick ..." she says with a pause. "It's definitely difficult to take care of somebody who's chronically ill."
The couple usually catches up after Owens's bartending hours. Depending on his shift, he'll get back to their Springfield home between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Dove, who goes to sleep after tucking in Elliott at 7:30 p.m., wakes up to spend a few hours chatting with Owens or watching a recorded episode of "Top Chef." Most days, the family can be found on the floor of Elliott's playroom around 11 a.m. before Owens heads to work in the early afternoon.
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About 3:40 p.m., after more retouching at Paradiso, Owens heads for his bartending shift at Jaleo in Penn Quarter. Unlike at Bourbon, there's no downtime for artistry here. Sangria needs to be served; gin and tonics stirred.
He wonders where his chalk side gig might lead. He'd like to do more elaborate pieces and exhibit them at Artomatic. "I'd make actual paintings, but in chalk," he says. "I'd put glass over it, but offset it maybe an eighth of an inch so it's not touching the chalk."
The same mix of ingenuity and attention to detail that makes Owens a talented chalk artist is evident in his creative bartending. "I have a great respect for cocktails, precise measurements, making everything just so," he says.
He stacks five ice cubes in a thin, tall glass; fills it three-quarters of the way with a mix of bourbon, Campari, lime juice and his homemade spiced-date syrup; tops it off with sparkling water; gives it a stir, and adds a slice of lime and a sprinkling of sea salt. The frothy, pink libation -- refreshingly light, with a lingering kick from the spiced dates -- is called "A Hot Date With a Matador." It's another delicate, transient masterpiece dreamed up by Owens ... and in a matter of minutes, it's gone.
Kris Coronado is a frequent contributor to the Magazine. She can be reached at wpmagazine@washpost.com.
