San Luis Obispo has played host to a chalk painting festival for the past 23 years. This year, taking on a new name – Via Dei Colori, or Day of the Colors – the chalk painting fun continued as talented artists gathered on the pavement to create their works.
Courtney Meznarich, festival participant said, “Participating in the festival is a really unique opportunity. It’s not often that your city lets you turn its streets into your own canvas. As an artist, it’s not to be missed!”
With “squares” ranging in size from 4’x6’ to 12’x12’, the artists are in for many hours of work covering their sponsored area.
“I worked on my piece for about 6 hours on Saturday and another 7 [Sunday],” commented Katy McGrath, festival participant, on how long she had worked to complete her 8’x12’ space.
The artwork is fleeting, however. The city sends a street sweeper through to wash all the artwork away on Monday morning, just hours after many artists finish their last few strokes of chalk. “Sure, it’s disappointing to see it all washed away after working so long, but it’s part of the media. You know what you’re in for when you start,” McGrath said.
New to the festival is an artist gallery, where you can take home a piece created by one of the participating chalk artists. There is also a children’s area with squares for drawing and interactive activities presented by the Children’s Museum. There truly is something for everyone in the family to enjoy!