Chalk has a way of fleeing its boundaries – floating, smudging, staining.

As artists of all ages knelt in the middle of their taped-off squares over the weekend, fine clouds of colored dust drifted from their murals in the hot wind.

Smudges of sky blue streaked the artists’ sweaty foreheads where they had pushed back their hats and bandanas.

A plume of peacock purple bloomed on Murrieta-based artist Janarie Ricchio’s hip, which is where she placed a hand while studying her emerging image.

Children covered in multicolor chalk from their fingertips to their shins ran along newly paved Fifth St. in Old Town Temecula as they pointed out drawings of SpongeBob and Nemo with delighted cries of recognition.

The artists’ knees, protected by pads or rolled towels, became almost as colorful as the shades they layered atop the asphalt.

More than 200 artists participated in the ninth annual Street Painting Festival, creating 70 pieces of street art.

"It’s wonderful social interaction between the viewer and the artist. We run into our friends and neighbors here each year and make some new friends, too," said muralist Gayle DuRivage of Menifee as she added a pink glow to the face of the enchantress in her enlargement of Sir Frank Dicksee’s "La Dame Sans Merci."

"Even though it’s a temporary, transient type of art, it’s a great opportunity to work on a larger scale," she added.

Along with her husband, Dan, DuRivage has been participating in the two-day art festival for the past eight years.

Son Austin, 17, created an image from Maurice Sendak’s children’s classic "Where the Wild Things Are" a few spaces away.

Austin has created alongside his parents for the past six years. DuRivage’s youngest children, Monae, 12, and Sage, 10, had their first squares this year.

"The festival is a chance to be creative and to see what everyone else is working on," said artist Rebecca Hayes-Johnson, a Temecula resident who was participating for the first time this year.

Using creamy beiges and velvety browns, Hayes-Johnson enlarged one of her own acrylic paintings of the underside of a buttermilk lily.

The close-up of the sensually curving petals was reminiscent of Georgia O’Keeffe’s flower paintings.

While other artists charted out grids and brought canopies to cover themselves, Hayes-Johnson worked freehand and wore a straw cowgirl hat as her only defense against the scorching sun.

Careful to avoid treading on the edges of the art, spectators walked among the closely packed murals. The artists blended colors with bits of carpet or gloved fingers.

From first sketches to final strokes, the entire process was open to the public. The finished works were judged Sunday afternoon.

About 300 smaller squares were made available for children to unleash their creative impulses on the asphalt.

Several artists, Advertisement
some clutching vintage album covers, used their asphalt squares to memorialize Michael Jackson, the recently deceased King of Pop.

Characters from Pixar films and anime comic books were also reoccurring images at the annual city festival.

"I love watching the show and reading manga," said Allison Turner, 14, of her inspiration for a black and white portrait of two embracing anime characters.

Other artists turned to Picasso, 1950s pin-ups and their own imaginations for inspiration. Five awards, including youth and event newcomer honors, were presented.

Jesus Gutierrez of Murrieta won Best of Show honors for his rendition of an Aztec woman with a glowing face surrounded by intricate carvings. He won the same award, which features a $500 prize, in 2006. He will be invited back next year as the festival’s featured artist, according to a city press release.

Lee Rupp of Wildomar won the People’s Choice Award for his "Fly Girl" creation. He has netted Best of Show honors in the past. A Winnetka man won be festival’s Best Newcomer Award and a 14-year-old San Diego girl was picked by judges for Best Youth honors.

Cecelia Linayao of San Diego won an award for her piece intended to be a tribute to Temecula. Last year, she represented the United States as a street painter at the Summer Olympics in China. Her Temecula award entitles her to take a class at the Pasadena Art Learning and Products Expo in October, said organizer Melody Brunsting.

This year, artists working with chalk on asphalt were joined by artists working on easels set up around Temecula’s historic business district. The second annual Ralph Love Plein Air Festival and competition was held in conjunction with the chalk art extravaganza.

Both events were sponsored by the city. Shawn McKelvey won an award for his painting, "Old & New," in conjunction with the plein air event. His winning piece will be displayed in Temecula City Hall and become a permanent part of the city’s art collection. Artists from La Jolla and Escondido also won top honors in that event.

The plein air event is pattered after the French expression for working in the moment outside of an art studio.

Ralph Love, who opened his Old Town Art Shack in the mid-1950s, likely remains Temecula’s best-known painter.

Love – listed in "Who’s Who of International Art" – became widely renowned for his gauzy scenic paintings of Temecula, California, Arizona and the Grand Canyon prior to his death 17 years ago.

Whether working on pavement or canvas, the artists added a temporary touch of culture and color to the streets.

Anyone interested in joining them next year can contact the city for workshops or to make participation arrangements.