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 Painting Festival & Plein Air event in Old Town Temecula June 25-27

Full Box French Style Easel

Painters and muralists will fill the streets of Old Town at the 10th Annual Old Town Temecula Street Painting Festival and 3rd Annual Ralph Love Plein Air Festival Friday June 25 through Sunday, June 27. This year organizers are bringing in lights for night painting on Friday and Saturday

“We’ve started a second division - Black and White at Night -for artists who prefer cooler temperatures, but also to offer a new challenge,” explained Melody Brunsting, event producer.

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.

The Black and White at Night division is for monochromatic and black and white murals. Lights will be provided the artists for night time painting until 9 p.m. All artists can paint into the night, but the lighting purpose was to encourage monochromatic paintings.

“Many artists want to enter both categories; the traditional full color palette and the black and white at night. It’s a new challenge that they are eager to try,” Brunsting added.

Traditional street painting is done with a full color palette of pastels. Pre-registered artists receive a 48-piece set of artist’s pastel chalk. The traditionalists and families will start Saturday and Sunday at 7 a.m. Their creations often take 12 to 20 hours to complete.

The 2010 featured artist is local muralist Jesus Gutierrez. He won the 2009 event for his entry “Aztec Princess.” A special treat this year is provided by the art students at Mount San Jacinto College/San Jacinto campus. They will be creating a giant 3D painting on Main Street similar to the popular “chalk guy” Julian Beaver.

The Ralph Love Plein Air Festival started three years ago and offers a $500 purchase award from the City of Temecula. An event within the event, Plein Air artists paint on location on canvas.

Plein Air Artists will scatter throughout Old Town in search of the perfect scene depicting the historic town. The event was named after Ralph Love. For many years, Ralph Love taught as well as painted. His students were made up of avid artists throughout Southern California, and their classroom was the wide-open spaces. On rainy days, the class would meet in the old Art Shack in Temecula, California, which Love opened in the mid-fifties. It was from this Art Shack that his work received national recognition. The courtyard at Old Town Front Street Bar & Grill is now known as the Love Courtyard and the scene of numerous concerts during Hot Summer Nights.

Both art events are free to the public and one of the many event offerings provided by the City of Temecula during Summerfest. Artists can still register for the events and children and families can participate at the event without registration. They are provided free pastel chalk and a place to try their creative hand at street painting. Classic Rock tunes from the Two of Us will entertain Friday evening. Flamenco guitar by Javid and Maoko provide a Latin and world music backdrop on Saturday. Sunday live Big Band tunes by the Valley Winds will close out the Festivals.

A Plein Air Art Auction is held Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Applications for both Plein Air artists and Street Painters are available at www.temeculacalifornia.com or by calling (951) 678-1456.