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Street Painting and The Massey Street Painting Festival

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 5 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

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Street Painting

 

"Street Painting" is the activity of rendering artistic designs on pavements such as streets, sidewalks and town squares, by using impermanent materials.

In cities and towns throughout the world pedestrians may see a patch of sidewalk or paved surface decorated with chalk or pastels.

Gallery image: "Peacock" street painting by Rod Tryon, Street Painting Festival, Valencia, CA 2003.

A Brief History of Street Painting 

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.

Massey Street Painting Festival 

I brought my mother to the Massey Street Painting Festival on September 15/16, 2007.

We both wanted to meet Ulla Taylor. She is 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 my mom (left) and Ulla (right).



Below are a couple of other pictures I took at the festival. If you click on the smaller gallery image, you can see the larger image.



Ulla Taylor 

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.. 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.

With pastels and knees pads in tow, Ulla creates public, (con)temporary street and corporate events- in Australia, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

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

Ulla Taylor Video 

Ulla's pavement art images of the fair

Ulla Taylors chalk pastel pavement drawing in canada 2006

Runtime: 1:50
2836 views
10 Comments:

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Kurt Wenner 

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.

Kurt Wenner Videos 


Kurt Wenner - Ceres' Banquet Chalk Drawing

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Kurt Wenner - Gears of War Chalk Drawing

Runtime: 1:20
17775 views
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Julian Beever 

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.

Julian Beever Videos 


How the "Pavement Picasso" Does It

Runtime: 4:17
1005323 views
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Julian Beever Chalk Drawings

Runtime: 2:07
477753 views
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Rod Tryon 



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.

Blog Posts from Google 

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Flasma Creates Sunlight Readible Pavement Art in London.
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Julian Beever is an artist who does 3D pavement art - genius!
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He's jumping down! -Metal Fury.
Aslan Pavement Art in London
Disney seems to be venturing into a unique way of marketing Prince Caspian in the UK, what with the...

Street Art Links 

Please feel free to add links to your favorite street art sites.

Ulla Taylor

Pavement Artist from Australia1 point

Massey Street Painting Festival

Massey, Northern Ontario, Canada1 point

Street Painting TV

Your street painting video channel1 point

Street Painting

3D Street Art done by world known european street more...0 points

Kurt Wenner

Master Artist and Architect0 points

Julian Beever

Official Website0 points

WEB'S

Graffiti art 3d0 points

White Chalk

Using chalks for your cards making or scrap bookin more...0 points

Street Art on Amazon 

Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents

Amazon Price: $23.10 (as of 07/09/2008)

NYC BCN: Street Art Revolution

Amazon Price: $22.76 (as of 07/09/2008)

Stencil Graffiti (Street Graphics / Street Art)

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/09/2008)

Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents

Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 07/09/2008)

Chalk on eBay 

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eBay

Guestbook Feedback 

What do you think of Street Painting? Do you have any festivals in your area?

jacquelinestone

Very, very cool! Made me smile.

Posted April 19, 2008

beachbum_gabby

this is totally cool, I've seen some of it and it looks like an illusion on the street. ^___^ 5* from a fan.

Posted April 17, 2008

Dav1d0

Nice work. Give you 5 stars

Posted March 22, 2008

Squidster

Exquisite topic for a lens! Please do join us at the Festivals Around The World Group!

Posted March 18, 2008

FoxMusic

These murals are incredible, thanks for gathering all this info.

Posted March 14, 2008

GypsyPirate

This is a seriously cool subject and a great lens!

Posted September 17, 2007

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