Street painting returns to Summerlin

Professional and student artists literally will paint the street Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center during the second annual La Strada dell' Arte street painting festival.

The fund-raising event benefits arts programs in Summerlin schools and will feature chalk pastel artwork from professionals, as well as students from Summerlin area schools. Residents who want to draw their own creation can purchase a 2-foot square for $2. Entertainment and Italian-themed foods are also planned.

Artist Julie Kirk from Chino, Calif., will offer a class on street painting at the library on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. To join in this free class, call Nina Berry at 791-4268. Space is limited.

Kirk, a graduate student at California State University at Fullerton, teaches drawing and painting, and has painted for Disney Entertainment, Lexus Corp. and the Long Beach Aquarium. She believes the best part about street painting is that it is temporary and public

"Very few people have the opportunity to watch a visual artist in action," Kirk said. "Street painting is not about the finished piece or a material possession, as much as it is about the process of creating. Street painting is about a moment in time, which is why it doesn't bother me to wash it away after the festival is over."

According to event organizers with The Howard Hughes Corp., street painting festivals were a tradition originating in 16th century Italy and are enjoying a renaissance throughout America and Europe.

In addition to hosting numerous events, Summerlin is home to eight golf courses, nearly 100 neighborhood and village parks, nearly 100 miles of trails, 16 schools, houses of worship, shopping centers, medical facilities, cultural facilities, and business parks.

Homes are available in a variety of styles including single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums priced from the mid-$100,000s to more than $700,000.

Custom lots measuring from one-third acre to three-quarters of an acre are priced from the high $300,000s to more than $1 million, and predesigned custom homes are priced from $500,000 to more than $1 million.

Apartments offer monthly rents starting from the high $700s.

To visit the community's home finding center, go west on Sahara Avenue, past Hualapai Way, to Town Center Drive, or take Interstate 215 to Sahara Avenue.

The center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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