Article: Chalk artists find commercial demand for services.

Byline: Robert K. Elder

May 5--At heart, Louella Tham considers herself an oil painter.

In reality, she is much better known for her commercial chalk murals in Flat Top Grill's nine restaurants around the country and in her local Whole Foods Market in the Washington, D.C., area.

"I've always drawn since I was a little girl, always wanted to be an artist," says Tham, 33.

I like chalk a lot, but my preferred medium is still oil."

Yet, for the last half-decade, Tham has visited Chicago once or twice a year for 10 painstaking days to work her chalk voodoo on Flat Top Grill's wall-size displays in five area locations.

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