The Art of Street Painting
The art of street painting dates back to the 16th century in Italy. Many of the artists worked for cathedrals and traveled to where there was work. They painted beautiful masterpieces on cathedral ceilings. When it was time to move on, they realized that they could paint those very same pictures on the street surface and make money in the form of tips from people passing by. They became known as Madonnari because they recreated images of the Madonna. In 1972, the first international festival took place in Italy. Today, the Sarasota International Chalk Festival is one of the largest street painting festivals in the United States and attracts over 200,000 visitors. I am humbled and grateful to be one of the artists invited to participate amongst such incredible talent at this world-class event.
