Tom Murphy
RedwoodAge.com
As much of the world nervously watched an environmental disaster unfold in the Gulf, tens of thousands of people turned out over the weekend to celebrate la bella terra - the beautiful earth - at the nation's largest Italian street painting festival.
This year's theme challenged artists like perennial favorite Cecilia Lenayao to reflect the beauty of the world around us using nothing but the sweltering blacktop pavement and colored chalk. And rise to the challenge, they did. About 400 pieces of art were created, many by teams of artists, in the festival that also included live musical performances as a benefit for the Youth in Arts program of Marin County, California.
"I took the theme quite literally," said Linayao, a San Diego artist who came north for her fourth consecutive festival. "I think the human face is very beautiful, so I melded that with the earth."
Her painting - unlike almost all the others drawn in the square frames - was round, with the earth's continents forming the features in three emotive faces.
It was beautiful, but for Linayao, the joy is in the festival itself. "I think it gets better every year. The level of art gets better," she said.
Linayao had been tempted to blend the news of the disastrous oil spill into her work, but "I decided to keep my politics to myself," she said.
The event draws about 60,000 people, raising up to $75,000 for the youth arts program. For most of those present, it's just an excuse to stroll for blocks near the historic Mission San Rafael while chatting with artists, enjoy the music and catch more than a few rays. Hundreds of squares are drawn for children, who create their own special masterpieces.
Beautiful Memory
For Lucy Simon, it was her 15th year of creating art under a blistering sun, but
she shrugged off this year's theme to do a work of personal importance, a
portrait of her best friend, Kathy Cerami, who passed away from bone cancer last
year at age 54.
Simon winced in the heat as she tried to faithfully translate a smiling portrait of her beautiful friend into a giant work of art.
"She was a selfless person, even more beautiful inside than outside," she said, wiping away tears, sweat and chalk dust from her eyes. Cerami, who Simon met in a dance class, sponsored Simon's entries to the festival for 13 years. This year, the dance class sponsored Simon's portrait of Cerami.
For all the hard work and great art, the festival was also a reminder of how fleeting life can be. The art is washed away as the festival closes, bringing the streets back to a solid deep black before Monday morning's rush-hour traffic.
