Painters and muralists
will
fill the streets during the 14th 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.
