The Sarasota Chalk Festival, an annual international street art exhibit and competition in Sarasota, Fla., closed on Nov. 7, 2011 after a week of events, and this year, latecomers were in for an unwelcome surprise. For the first time ever, Sarasota officials were spraying down the sidewalks the day after the 2011 festival, erasing the hundreds of chalk traditional, mosaic and 3D artworks created by artists from around the world.

Juandres Vera, of Mexico, finishes his submission for the 3D Pavement Art category at the 2011 Sarasota international Chalk Festival.

A chalk mosaic pays homage to modern collages made from hundreds of digital photos. (Apt. 46/Flickr)

One artist blends past and future with an homage to apples and Apple products. Sarasota, Fla. officials estimate over 100,000 visitors attended the free festival. (Apt. 46/Flickr)

A chalk depiction of the ancient gods for the category of Traditional Street Paintings, Pre-1940s. (Zinnia Jones/Flickr)

Melanie Stimmel Van Latum, one of the Sarasota Chalk Festival’s signature street artists, is a founding member of the Street Painting Society, and the only woman to win the title of Maestra Madonnara. (Melanie Stimmel)

Wide-pan view of the 2011 Sarasota Chalk Festival. The festival’s end on Nov. 7 saw a high-pressure street washer wipe all the art away, leaving only photos through which to remember the gallery. (Apt. 46/Flickr)

This LEGO terracotta army was inspired by the giant LEGO man found on a Sarasota beach, as well as the Terracotta warriors of ancient China. (Zinnia Jones/Flickr)

The finished LEGO terracota army by Planet Streetpainting of the Netehrlands. (Zinnia Jones/Flickr)

Mother Earth, in pastel chalks. Many chalk artists see the event as a performance art, but many patrons were unhappy about the decision to wash away the artwork immediately. (Apt. 46/Flickr)

Lindsay Zeltzer works on a realistic chalk rendering of Jack Nicholson’s The Joker from the Tim Burton “Batman” movie. (Zeltzer)

A full 3D scene from the movie “Avatar.” This piece was part of a 24-hour competition between professional artists at the Sarasota Chalk Festival. (Apt. 46/Flickr)

A 3D shot inside a library by Eduardo Kobra, of Brazil. “The most important thing was to learn, socialize and learn, especially with all these great artists,” Kiobra said. “It was a unique experience that will certainly be repeated again.” (Milton Jung/Flickr)

Water reflections are recast in chalk near one of the parking lots near the 2011 international festival.