Street Painting, Plein Air, and a Yarn Splash at Sam Hicks Park - Its the 14th Annual Temecula Street Painting Festival

          Painters and muralists will fill the streets during the  14^th Annual Old Town Temecula Street Painting Festival June 20-22, 2014.  Temecula's Street Painting Festival draws thousands of visitors a year and is part of the City of Temecula Arts Festival.   The Ralph Love Plein Air Festival, now in its seventh year, begins  Monday,  June 16  this year with artists painting Old Town Temecula scenes through Sunday,  June 22.  At Sam Hicks Park artists will create yarn art utilizing trees, benches and other components of the park.

         Street painters begin their creations on Friday,  June 20 at 5 p.m.  Over 140 muralists and fine artists create giant pastel murals on Main and Mercedes Streets in Old Town Temecula during the event.  It will take most street painters 18 to 24 hours to complete their murals.  Gayle DuRivage, the 2013 Best of Show winner, will be the featured artist. DuRivage has won the best of show four times in the event's 14-year history. Many of the artists started with the Festival as teenagers and return each year.  Tim Krejci, the 2013 People's Choice winner, began street painting at the 2001 Festival as a middle school student. Now competing as an adult, Krejci, 24, is one of the Festival's top muralists.

         "It's rewarding to see the artists return every year, and watch the youth develop. Many of the artists who started with us 14 years ago, now help teach new artists.  It's like a family reunion when the artists start to arrive.  They enjoy the camaraderie and spirit of the Festival.  Many of them street paint at other festivals throughout the year," stated organizer and founder of the Festival, Melody Brunsting.

           Street painting festivals are held throughout California beginning  each spring and continuing throughout the fall.  Now one of the largest street painting festivals in California, the Temecula event produces over 90 giant murals annually.  A large family area is provided for spectators to  try their artistic hand at using pastels on asphalt.  The 2013 event had 1,620 small squares decorated by spectators.  Artists come from all over California, Washington, Arizona and Colorado to paint.

           Street painting  Best of Show winners receive a $500 cash prize and are honored the following year as the featured artist. Additional prizes are awarded for People's Choice, Best Monochromatic, Best Theme and Best Youth with two age categories.  This year's theme is "Be the Dream."  Blick Art Materials, with several store locations in Southern California, will be providing gift cards to street painting winners.

          The Temecula Street Painting Festival is one of four artistic ventures during the weekend in Old Town Temecula. The Ralph Love Plein Air Festival offers a $500 purchase award from the City of Temecula. First place award is $200;  second place award $100. Plein air artists paint from June 16 to the 22 in Old Town. Look for artists with easels in little nooks of the town.  Finished plein air pieces will be on exhibit and for sale at the Temecula Civic Center Conference room beginning on Saturday at 10 a.m. The exhibit ends on Sunday with the 4:30 p.m. awards ceremony.

          Yarn Splash is a new concept for Temecula's art week.  Artists will decorate trees, the gazebo, light posts, fences, trash cans and benches to create a vibrant and radiant atmosphere from Monday, June 16 through the Saturday, June 21. This is a first-time event within the Temecula Arts Festival and is hosted by the Temecula Valley Museum.  The yarn art creations will remain in place until August 24.

         Fine art exhibits are also on display throughout the weekend at the Temecula Civic Center.   A youth fine art competition will also be on display at the civic center conference room.  The Art Festival booths are available through the City of Temecula, visit www.temeculaevents.org for an application.

        Street Painting and Plein Air Festival ccompetition applications are available online at www.temeculacalifornia.com.  Interested artists may also call Melody at 951-678-1456 to have an application mailed.  

Plein Air Artists, Over 70 Murals and 125 Artists in OldTown Temecula This Weekend

Gayle DuRivage

Over 125 muralists and visual artists create giant pastel murals on Main Street in Old Town Temecula during the 11th Annual Old Town Temecula Street Painting and Plein Air Festival, this weekend. Street Painters include featured artist Gayle DuRivage of Menifee. Gayle won best of show last year. 

Also painting are: Jesus Gutierrez (2009 Best of Show), Cecelia Linayao (2010 Best Black & White), Mark Alverez, Larry Brann, Mildred Brown, William Burgess, Henry Casas, Carol Clark, Eileen Doktorski, Melissa Ericson, Frank Faldmo, Eduardo Galvez,  Billie Joyce Hatzidakis, Jennifer Hauser, Rebecca Hayes (People's Choice 2010), Lee Rupp (People'sChoice 2010), Sydney Marquez, Melinda Meiojas, Lisa Owen Lynch, Shawndell Pickard, Mary Postovoit, Amor Miaflores-Bailey, Jennifer Rock, Karen Rohlin, Meguel Sumlin, Stephen Tawater, Clara Wallace, William Zin, Christine Zink and Manny Zuniga.

Kids and Families can Paint Too - Free

Families, children, and beginners join in the creative endeavor in the family section where more than 500 smaller squares are blocked out for spectators to paint with pastels on the asphalt canvas. There are more than 20 Youth competitors already registered for the Festival. Any youth artists can compete for the Best of Youth award but pre-registration is encouraged.

Best of Show winners receive a $500 cash prize and are honored the following year as the featured artist. Additional prizes are awarded for People's Choice, best Monochromatic, Best Youth and  Best Black and White.

Prizes this year include $500 plus a weekend at Welk Resorts for the Best of Show. Best Black and White at Night gets a Prismacolor pen set and sketch pad, People's Choice an Artist Carryall Bag, Best Youth receives a Pan Pastel Set, and Best Newcomer receives a set of Neupastels. The Committee award - known as the comeback award is for either an artist that hasn't been to the Temecula Festival in over a year, or someone who overcomes the odds to finish their painting. This person wins a free class at the Pasadena Learning & Product Art Expo October 28-30.

Jesus Gutierres - last year's featured artist.

The Ralph Love Plein Air Festival started four years ago and offers a $500 purchase award from the City of Temecula. First place award is $200 and a (3 days, 2 nights)  weekend stay at Dorland Mountain Arts Colony. Artists' choice award is $100.  An event within the event, Plein Air artists paint on location on canvas. Artists registered for Plein Air include: Joan Coffee, Lorraine Dawson, Suzanne Gibson, Carol Landry, Ginger Pena, Jack Ragland, Kathy Stradley, and John White.

Applications for both Plein Air artists and Street Painters are available at www.temeculacalifornia.com or by calling (951) 678-1456.  

Street Painters and Plein Air Artists Wanted for Temecula Event

Painters and muralists are encouraged to enter the 11th Annual Old Town Temecula Street Painting Festival and 4th Annual Ralph Love Plein Air Festival Friday June 24 through Sunday, June 26.



Over 100 muralists and visual artists create giant pastel murals on Main Street in Old Town Temecula during the event. Families, children, and beginners join in the creative endeavor in the family section where more than 500 smaller squares are blocked out for spectators to paint with pastels on the asphalt canvas.


There are two scheduled workshops:
Sunday, May 22 from 10 a.m. to Noon during Western Days and the Chili Cookoff at Town Square on Main and Mercedes Streets the other will be Saturday, June 11th from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in Old Town at 6th Street and the Chaparral Building.


Cecelia Linayo's Winning Black & White at Night Entry



The 2011 event will also include a Black and White at Night division where artists use a monochromatic or black and white color palette. The event expands this year, utilizing all of the Old Town Temecula's Town Square circle, plus portions of Mercedes between Third and Fourth Streets.


"New black asphalt. Really!" stated Melody Brunsting, organizer and event promoter. "Each year we have hoped to have Town Square at Mercedes and Main complete. This year it is complete, so artists will enjoy more space, and smooth asphalt for their creations."


Best of Show winners receive a $500 cash prize and are honored the following year as the featured artist. Additional prizes are awarded for People's Choice, best Monochromatic, and Best Youth. Best Black and White wins a weekend for two at the Welk Resorts in either San Diego or Palm Springs, plus golf for two.

The Ralph Love Plein Air Festival started four years ago and offers a $500 purchase award from the City of Temecula. First place award is $200 and a weekend stay at Dorland Mountain Arts Colony. Artists' choice award is $100. An event within the event, Plein Air artists paint on location on canvas.


Applications for both Plein Air artists and Street Painters are available at www.temeculacalifornia.com or by calling (951) 678-1456.

Temecula Street Painting and Plein Air Awards Announced

Winning artists were announced yesterday, June 27, at the conclusion of the 10th Annual Temecula Street Painting Festival, and third Annual Plein Air Festival in Old Town Temecula.


Artists painted on canvases “en plein air” and the asphalt of Main Street over three days creating over 18 plein air paintings, 75 street painting murals and 850 small children’s paintings. Over 100 street painters participated. While most were Inland Empire artists, muralists came from Montebello, San Diego, and Orange County. Plein Air is described as “on location” and is known as the way master Impressionist painters like Monet painted.

The 2010 award winning street painters were: Best of Show Gayle DuRivage, Menifee for “Meditations”, Best Youth, Alina Bartolini-Verna, San Diego, for “Raven,” Best Newcomer (first time to Temecula event) Norberto Villez, Murrieta, for “Portrait of Inspiration,” Best Black and White, Cecelia Linayao, San Diego, for “The Color of Beauty,” People’s Choice, tied between Lee Rupp, Winchester, and Rebecca Hayes-Johnson, Comeback Award tied with Rice Family/Stephen Tawater, Sun City and Mackenzie Tate.

Ralph Love Plein Air winners were Best of Show Gabriel Baber for “Cottage #2,” 1st Place David Musser for “St. Catherine’s Rose Garden,” and Artists’ Choice to Shawn McKelvey for “Come & Sit a Spell”.

Both festivals are sponsored by the City of Temecula and held annually on the fourth weekend of June as part of the city’s Summerfest. For more information contact organizer Melody Brunsting at (951) 678-1456 or the city at (951) 693-3952.

For more photos go to http://temeculacalifornia.com/Street_Painting_Festival/street_painting_festival.html