TEMECULA: Creativity, color comes alive in Old Town

Street painting, plein air events draw thousands

By JENNIFER KABBANY - For The Californian | Saturday, June 28, 2008 11:54 PM PDT ∞

TEMECULA ---- Old Town became an epicenter of artistic expression Saturday as hundreds of artists converged on the area to create their masterpieces.

Along one corridor, about 100 artists ---- amateurs and professionals ---- used colorful chalk to create vibrant visual mural displays along the asphalt.

Along another, dozens of children excitedly created their own minimural chalk creations on white pavement as their parents stood by, watching and smiling.

And dotting the streets of Old Town, oil, acrylic and watercolor painters set up canvases and used the scenes unfolding round them to conjure up multicolored images.

The combination of the eighth annual Old Town Temecula Street Painting Festival and the inaugural Ralph Love Plein Air Competition and Auction is what drew the artists together.

"Last year I came and saw all the beautiful art, and it looked so fun that this year I thought I'd come and participate," said Temecula resident Sara Slusser, 33, who was drawing a chalk scene from the movie "Fantasia" along with her family and friends.

Temecula sisters Kayla and Lindsey Gelinas, 10 and 8, said they love participating in the festival each year. They crafted their murals in the adult section.

"My oldest daughter has done this since she was 5," said Gary Gelinas of Kayla. "They don't mind being on their hands and knees for hours. For Kayla, art is her passion. She draws for hours and hours."

Artists from outside the area also took part in the festival, including San Diego resident Steve Presser, 31. He created his image of an edgy, black-and-white Uncle Sam while family and friends looked on.

"I have a Web marketing company, but I like doing fine art whenever I can," he said. "This is a fun family event. We're having a picnic, hanging out."

On the other side of the street, in the children's section of the festival, dozens of youngsters were able to express themselves and hang out with their families.

The Griffin family drove the hour commute from El Monte to be there.

"I want to be an artist, like my grandma," said Andrina Griffin, 8, who drew four colorful butterflies in her minimural.

The chalk festival is one of the most popular annual Old Town events, said organizer Melody Brunsting. Thousands of people visit throughout the day to view the murals and have some fun, she said.

"We are having a really good time," she said Saturday as she handed out chalk to children. "The weather has been perfect, and we have some really amazing artists."

The 57 murals being created Saturday included a rainbow of images, including Captain Jack Sparrow of "The Pirates of the Caribbean," heroines from Disney films, Batman, and abstract images and elaborate nature pieces.

The festival, which costs about $10,000 to put on and is largely sponsored by the city, is a boon for Temecula, Brunsting said.

"It helps us to designate Old Town as a tourist destination," Brunsting said.

The festival continues through this afternoon, with an award ceremony scheduled for 3:30 p.m., she said.

On Saturday, the two-day plein air event concluded. The inaugural competition, the brainchild of the Arts Council of Temecula Valley, drew 29 artists, mainly from Southwest County, but also from as far away as Sausalito and Calistoga.

The artists were limited to painting scenes inspired by Old Town. They brought blank canvases, which were then stamped to ensure the work was done during the event.

"We wanted to do something artistic in Old Town," said the council's executive director, Ruth Hobbs, adding that the event "fit perfectly" with the chalk festival. The first run was a smashing success, she said.

"Every artist has said nothing but praise," Hobbs said. "I've heard, 'You're lucky you live here,' or 'This has been wonderful.' It's a fun atmosphere."

Three cash prizes were handed out, including a $500 "purchase award" from the city for the best painting, which will hang in the new City Hall once it's built, she said.

The participating artists said they were glad to have a venue for their passion.

"I'm retired, and this keeps me out of bars and out of trouble," said 67-year-old San Jacinto resident Jerry Horn, who used watercolors to paint an image of children participating in the chalk festival. "I just found a shady spot and started painting."

Hemet resident Mark Goldberg, 61, president of the Hemet Valley Art Association, used watercolors to paint a view of downtown Main Street. He said more cities are offering plein art events lately, a trend he's glad to see.

"It's wonderful," Goldberg said. "Plein art seems to be getting more and more popular."

Hobbs said the Temecula plein air competition will be an annual one that will coincide with the chalk festival.

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