CHALK IT UP TO NOHO'S WALK OF ART.Byline: JASON Jason, in Greek mythology Jason, in Greek mythology, son of Aeson. When Pelias usurped the throne of Iolcus and killed (or imprisoned) Aeson and most of his descendants, Jason was smuggled off to the centaur Chiron, who reared him secretly on Mt. Pelion. KANDEL Staff Writer BURBANK -- When Randall Williams
Spread out on the blacktop were 300 artists hunched over their asphalt canvas creating vibrant works, dazzling the streams of passers-by looking over their shoulders. ``I wanted to do that,'' said Williams, 49, who now owns Randall's Art studio in Burbank. ``I was just like, `Look how real that is.' It's crazy.'' Ten years later, Williams is one of 54 chalk artists who will show off their talents this weekend at the 14th annual NoHo Theatre & Arts Festival An arts festival or art fair is a festival that focuses on the visual arts, but which may also focus on other arts. Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions. . ``He's a wonderful man. He's a wonderful artist,'' said Juliana Martinez, 51, herself a chalk artist from Canoga Park, who's organizing the chalk art event. ``He's a great artist. The quality of his work is consistent. His work is meticulous. It's right on.'' Williams grew up in Jacksonville, Ill., a town of about 28,000 where ``there were few outlets for artists,'' he said. He took to art early, recalling a time when his second-grade teacher assigned him and his classmates Classmates can refer to either:
He drew an incubator filled with eggs, some with legs sticking out, and floating ZZZs above them. ``I thought I was like Picasso, the greatest artist there was,'' he said. The seed was planted, but his father, head of maintenance at a hospital, and mother, an administrative assistant at the same hospital, wanted him to be an electrician or a plumber. So when he told them he wanted to go to college to study art, they were incredulous. He went to Western Illinois University For another university which uses the abbreviation "WIU", see Webber International University Athletics
``It was always the beach and pretty girls. `Man, look at that place. I wanna wan·na Informal 1. Contraction of want to: You wanna go now? 2. Contraction of want a: You wanna slice of pie? go there,''' he said. ``So I tell my mom I want to go to L.A. and they're like, `No, you're not going.''' She ultimately relented, and he hit the road in his yellow 1977 Rally Sport Camaro loaded up with his mother's ham sandwiches, his then- girlfriend and $500 in his pocket. He landed his first job as a gallery attendant at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, also known as LACMA, is the official and world-renowned art museum of the County of Los Angeles, California, located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. , which he loved. He took college girls doing reports for school on his own docent tours, educating them about his favorite artists -- Picasso, Matisse, Rodin. Throughout the years, he's worked in a stained glass window stained glass window n → vidriera de colores stained glass window stain n → buntes Glasfenster nt stained glass window n company and was art director for various photo labs, specializing in airbrush airbrush Pneumatic device for developing a fine, small-diameter spray of paint, protective coating, or liquid colour (see aerosol). The airbrush can be a pencil-shaped atomizer used for various highly detailed activities such as shading drawings and retouching retouching, all the while doing weekend art shows. The black shirts and pants he wears after his heroes Andy Warhol and Batman belie be·lie tr.v. be·lied, be·ly·ing, be·lies 1. To picture falsely; misrepresent: "He spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility" James Joyce. his passion for color. Inside his white brick studio on Burbank Boulevard, Williams creates mystical mermaids, sweeping sunsets and poignant portraits on traditional canvases using oil, acrylic and airbrush paints. For this weekend's event, he won't know his subject until he sits down with his chalk board erasers, Dustbuster and tray of chalks of all colors, each carefully separated in advance by his 16-year-old daughter, Amber. And he won't be disappointed that after he's worked hard to create a beautiful piece of art, that eventually, the wind will blow it away. ``They're like bunches of roses,'' Williams said. ``You buy them ... then they go away. Art means everything to me. Not only am I enjoying the process of creating it, but I also know the impression that it will be leaving on small kids and the general public. It's more fun than you can imagine.'' jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com (818) 546-3306 IF YOU GO The NoHo Theatre & Arts Festival is Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the heart of North Hollywood at Lankershim and Magnolia boulevards. Admission is free. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Artist Randall Williams in front of his artwork in his Burbank studio. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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