Palo Alto Festival of the Arts – Italian Street Painting

Italian Street Painting Expo

Bellissimo! World-renowned chalk artists return to this year’s Palo Alto Festival of the Arts’ Italian Street Painting Expo for the 16th year. Each masterpiece will be carefully choreographed — numerous hours of painstaking preparation that is slowly revealed over the two-day event. The anticipation alone brings festival-goers back a second day to watch these talented artists create 100-square-foot and larger images. And kids can get involved, too, by creating their own chalk canvases in the special Chalk-a-Lot area.

Tasso Street starting at University will once again provide the canvas for this unique and beautiful art, where pastel paintings by chalk artists throughout the state will be created on the asphalt over the festival’s run.

The Italian Street Painting Expo will amaze visitors with a variety of themes that reflect each artists’ passion of this unique art form. Replicas from Old Masters to anamorphic styles (artwork that appears three-dimensional from a distance or as seen through the camera lens) will cover one full block on Tasso.

This Italian tradition dates to the 1500s where street painters became known as Madonnari for creating images of the Madonna on public streets. It has since flourished throughout Europe and the United States bringing many more innovative artists to the scene to try their hand at chalk painting, or pavement art as it’s known in England.

The word “canvas” takes on a whole new meaning if you're a street painter. In fact, this art form – using only chalk pastels – is traditionally very fleeting. Hours and hours are spent creating these works of art; only to have them washed away in a single hour, as if they had never existed.

2023 Featured Artist: Rod Tryon

This year’s Featured Artist, Rod Tryon, has been street painting for 36 years. He visited the first street painting festival in the United States, I Madonnari Street Painting Festival in Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1986, and knew it was something he had to do. Rod creates street paintings for special events worldwide.

He’s often asked if it is difficult to deal with the fact that his work is so temporary.  “The act of creating the painting is as significant as the finished piece,” he said. “The ephemeral nature of the art form only makes it more special for the artist and unique for the audience. It is a gift to those who get to experience the artwork being created. Interacting with onlookers, discussing the image and answering questions about the piece is a large part of the joy of the creation.”

Rod received a Bachelor of Fine Arts/Advertising degree from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. He is a former National Art Director for Kinko’s Corporate and lives in Santa Barbara.

See Rod’s work here.

Sixteen other amazing chalk artists are participating this year in 100-square-foot and larger street canvases. See the full list below.

Don't miss this temporary art exhibit at ground level where a burst of color, design, and awe-inspiring creations are made by chalk.

Kids’ Chalk-a-Lot

The Kids’ Chalk-a-Lot area, toward the end of Tasso, allows youths to purchase for a nominal fee a 2x2-foot asphalt canvas to create their own chalk art. The Kids’ Chalk-a-Lot area will benefit Youth Community Service, which elevates youth voice to raise community connection and equity through service.

Non-Profit Beneficiaries and Sponsors

The Italian Street Painting Expo gives two local non-profits, Ada’s Café and Youth Community Service, the opportunity to raise funds to implement community service programs. Be sure to stop by to support both worthy organizations.

Monies raised from the sponsored artists’ street paintings will benefit Ada’s Café, whose main priority is to create engaging and meaningful career experiences for adults with disabilities.

Thank you to our Italian Street Painting Expo Sponsors! Community Sponsors of the street paintings include Ada’s Café, Avis Family, City National Bank, Edenbridge Homes, Hahn Family, Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto , Klausner Family, Palo Alto University Rotary, Peter Eng, The Hughes Family, University Arts, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and Ziebelman Family.