YOUR SUMMER MUST-BUY ITEMS LIST? It was probably on the lengthy side. Back in May, or even June, you might have picked up some sunblock at the store, or a beach towel, or a pool inflatable, or some bubbles made for blowing, and maybe some giant hats, too. And, if you have kids around, and we're including big kids, you might have thrown a pack of sidewalk chalk into the cart, the kind of large, brightly hued chalk perfect for pool decks and concrete driveways. For the urge to fill a large canvas, even if it is underfoot, is a real one, and the warmer days of summer mean we're outside more, looking for larks and capers and fun ways to while away a balmy day. Consider, too, that many of California's major street painting festivals also cluster around the summertime, with Santa Barbara, Pasadena, and San Rafael all serving as spectacular spots where annual drawings-on-the-ground events may be found. But summer isn't over yet, and Ventura is up next, with the...
VENTURA ART & STREET PAINTING FESTIVAL... filling out the penultimate weekend of the summer of 2017. The dates are Saturday, Sept. 9 and Sunday, Sept. 10, and 40-plus artists will be out and on the pavement around Ventura Harbor Village, with various tools of the trade in hand. Expect whimsical renderings of favorite characters — Willy Wonka made a showing in a festival gone by — and scenes of nature, too. And expect to see several acclaimed artists fashioning the pictures, stroke by chalk stroke, including accolade-garnering participants like Tracy Lee Stum and Rod Tryon, of Ventura and Santa Barbara, respectively. What will the create in 2017? The sky, or rather the ground, is the limit.
TROMPE L'OEIL... is often a gasp-inducing go-to for street painting artists, and the artworks that seem to be three-dimensional consistently summon a stream of admirers. (No, you can't step into the painting, though it looks as though you could.) Admission to the festival is free, though kids can get their own chalk and sidewalk square to work with for ten bucks. FOOD Share of Ventura County and Kids Arts Inc. are the weekend's beneficiaries.
