“Street Painting” Exhibit

Inspired by the art of the Masters, and the chalk Street Painting feature of Mission Viejo’s 2011 Arts ALIVE Festival, Renee Keady has created a series of artworks for the Parkway Gallery in Mission Viejo. These large pieces of art started out as small paintings using the grid method to enlarge them to fit the six foot pilasters they hang on. She has recreated the process so that the viewer can get a glimpse of what it entails to produce a large scale piece of art.

The first step requires her to select a picture and place a grid over the top which is carefully measured based on the size of the original piece and the size of the enlarged piece. Since the process involves enlarging, she draws the basic outline known as a contour line that she sees in each box of the grid onto the larger surface while carefully duplicating the lines from the smaller picture. Layers of color are added until she arrives at the finished painting.

Renee Keady is not new to this concept as her love for Street Painting enables her to use the grid method for her award-winning masterpieces and to educate the community on the process of creating spectacular chalk murals as large as 16’x12’. At this years’ Arts ALIVE Festival in Mission Viejo, Renee and her chalking partner Maribeth McFaul created a 20’x6’ mural, “The Process of Rosie the Riveter.” Her idea was to show the audience the steps involved in creating such a large piece of artwork.

Renee always tells people that although the street painting artwork is temporary, the impression it leaves lasts a lifetime!

Take a tour of the Parkway Gallery.

The City embraces the arts and hopes it will help build a creative community in Mission Viejo and throughout Orange County. The City is grateful to Arts Orange County and the sponsors of Imagination Celebration, which include Orange County Department of Education, Arts Orange County, Phil and Mary Lyons, The Crean Foundation, Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund, The Orange County Register and KOCE.

About Arts Orange County

Arts Orange County is the leader in building appreciation, participation and support for the arts and arts education throughout Orange County. The organization was established in 1995 as a nonprofit countywide arts council. It is the state-local partner with the California Arts Council and is the official local arts agency of the County of Orange. Arts Orange County serves as a resource and advocate for the arts community, as a catalyst for leadership on arts issues, and as a sponsor of programs and services that enhance public awareness of arts activities and promotes the development of the arts and arts education in Orange County.