Street Painting and The Massey Street Painting Festival

Although this art form is new to most countries, it has a long tradition in Europe and is thought to have originated in Italy during the 16th century.

Italian madonnari were vagabond artists noted for a life of travel between festivals, and were the visual arts counterpart of minstrels. They often lived solely from the coins tossed onto or next to their drawing as homage to the Madonna and possibly their skill. They arrived in towns and cities to paint religious pictures directly on the beaten earth or paved public squares, using chalk, brick, charcoal, and colored stones as their medium. In Italy, street painters are called Madonnari after their practice of reproducing images of the Madonna (St. Mary). Their work is tied to the rich history of Italian religious art, and is connected to icons, as well as votive and ex-voto paintings (an offering given either prior to, or in gratitude for an answered prayer or miracle).

For centuries madonnari were true folk artists, reproducing simple images with minimal materials. During the Second World War these artists suffered many hardships and were greatly reduced in number. Thanks to the International Street Painting Festival in Grazie di Curtatone in Northern Italy the art form has been revitalized. Today a growing number of artists are carrying on the tradition and are introducing new images and materials.

A highly versatile performance art form, pavement art is tailored to specific sites, themes and audiences. The "screeving" or street mural, is crafted in brilliant, ephemeral Fine Art chalk pastels, and literally creates a new perspective on the grey street, delighting and amazing pedestrians. Created over days, the artwork fades as it is worn away by the elements. Ulla's fine pavement art is exceptionally photogenic and attracts avid interest from visual media.

I brought my mother to the Massey Street Painting Festival on September 15, 2007. She was so excited waiting for the festival to start, I think she talked non-stop about it for over a month or two. It was so cute, and so mom :-).

She really loved the entire day there, and I must admit, I was surprised how talented all the artists were and how much I actually enjoyed the festival myself.

And Ulla was not only extremely talented, but very approachable and friendly. Even though she had to get her artwork completed for the competition, she took the time to chat with us. Here is a picture I took of my mom (left) and Ulla (right).

You know, mom had wanted to go to this annual festival for a couple of years before this, but we just never seemed to have the time. I am so glad I took the opportunity to take mom that year; she passed away the following summer. Never put off those moments you think might not be important or special ...... they really are!

~ I miss you so much mom ~

Ulla Taylor, born March 22, 1969 in Melbourne Australia, she has performed at Festivals and events as a pavement artist since 1987. Ulla's original pavement art has been enjoyed by thousands of people on city sidewalks from Australia to Lithuania since 1987.

At three years old, her mother Hildegard despaired at the continual appearance of smiley faces drawn in biro on the white walls at home, but she encouraged Ulla in her painting.

At seventeen Ulla went to art school and has completed formal art studies;

• Bachelor of Fine Art, 1987-1989 at Chisholm Institute of Technology.
• Diploma of Education, (Art and Craft Method) 1990. University of Melbourne.
• Certificate of Small Arts Business Management, 1993.

At eighteen she landed her first pavement art commission with Melbourne City.

Twenty-three saw her on her first international tour as a part of Chalk Circle. Now working solo, she loves her work, touring and making art at a "grass-roots" level.

Ulla has won prizes in competition pavement art and her paintings are represented in government, corporate and private collections in Australia and overseas.

A founding member of Chalk Circle pavement art group, Ulla registered her own business Taylored Artwork in 1994. Most of her artwork has been in the form of community, or special event artworks, and pavement art murals. Ulla also paints in her Melbourne studio, her work represented in State Government, InfoVic and Heritage Victorias' art collections, in addition to private collections (and public footpaths) throughout the world.

Her work ranges from community art at festivals creating original images of celebration to fine handcrafted promotions and enhancements for government departments, businesses and corporations, The street art murals are created on brick, asphalt, and concrete surfaces.

I work as a street pavement artist, or "Screever". With pastels and kneepads in tow, I create original street murals at festivals and special events.

Screeving has enabled me to earn an income from my art since I was 17. Pavement Art is art for the masses. It is created for the joy of the whole community. Now it's getting hard to travel anywhere without doing a street drawing .... makes me feel at home in the wide world. Since 1987 I've worked throughout Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and have also worked in England, Wales, Germany, Lithuania, and Japan.

The art is a performance, it out-lives itself in people's memories, but what I like most about street art is the way it can be a delightful surprise to strangers, a little sacred site in the midst of the grey city for all to enjoy.

My public work artwork is site specific, and I try to make it as topical and relevant to the audience as possible, favouring nature and fantasy as my themes.

Painted Lady Butterfly, Montmorency Melbourne © Ulla Taylor May 2007

Air New Zealand 3D web site promotion, Auckland © Ulla Taylor

Make a Wish, Auckland Feb 2007 © Ulla Taylor Feb 2007

Kurt Wenner has combined traditional street painting techniques along with classical training, illusion, and performance to invent an art form all his own. This has come to be known as anamorphic, illusionistic, or 3D street painting. Wenner's development of this technique is featured in the National Geographic documentary Masterpieces in Chalk.

Artists using this technique today can trace it back to Wenner's invention in the early 1980's. His three-dimensional images have inspired festivals and public events throughout the world, as well as others to continue the practice of bringing images of icons and popular culture to an ever changing public. While the art form continues to develop one thing has remained unchanged, madonnari and their paintings continue to vanish after a festival, or with the first rains.

Julian Beever is an English chalk artist who has been creating trompe-l'oeil chalk drawings on pavement surfaces since the mid-1990s. His works are created using a projection called anamorphosis, and create the illusion of three dimensions when viewed from the right angle.

Besides this pavement art, Beever also paints murals and replicas of the works of masters and oil paintings, and creates collages. He works as a freelance performance artist and creates murals for companies. He has worked in the UK, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Spain, the USA and Australia.

Rod Tryon has been street painting for the past 20 years. He visited the inagural "I Madonnari Street Painting Festival" in Santa Barbara, CA in 1987 (the first street painting festival ever held in the U.S.) and knew it was something he had to do.

He has participated in the Santa Barbara festival 17 times including appearing as the featured artist in 1993. Rod has been a featured artist in numerous other street painting events worldwide.

When he's not at a street painting festival, Rod works as a freelance artist focusing on pastels on paper and canvas, acrylic paintings, graphic design, pastel illustration and computer illustration.

See a video of Rod Tryon at Street Painting TV.