Over 200 street painters unleash their creativity on Houston streets

World
Europe

More than 200 artists worldwide took part in the annual Houston Via Colori, one of the largest and most well-known art festivals in the city in the US state of Texas.

In its 12th edition, Via Colori boasted an attendance of 30,000 people, three stages for live music, many local food and beverage vendors, and award-winning street painters from all over the world.

Chinese artist Wu Yingde participated in the festival for the first time. Wu's piece was inspired by the touching moments of people helping each other during the disaster caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Artists drawing street paintings in Houston, Texas. /Xinhua Photo

"During Hurricane Harvey, I could feel the power of people helping each other. I was deeply moved," Wu told Xinhua.

Wu, who used to work in a private studio, said the atmosphere of street painting is really nice.

"Here you can see the whole process of making a piece of art and you can better communicate and exchange views with other artists," he said.

Art teacher Kevin Richert, who has been attending the event for eight years, said, "It's a wonderful get-together for the community. Because if you notice the crowd, it just get bigger and bigger."

"Some are expected to be entertained, but also be amazed. We as artists get to expose all the different things, from simple film stars to philosophy," he said.

An artist draws a street painting in Houston, Texas. /Xinhua Photo

Young artist Brenda Melgar said she went through a contest when she participated in the event for the first time as a high school student several years ago.

"It's great for the youth. It's benefiting the Center for Hearing and Speech, which is one of the biggest and probably the only center in Houston that helps out kids with hearing impairment to live a life without using sign language. So it's really for a great cause," she told Xinhua.

Created by the Center for Hearing and Speech, the activity aims to fund critical health and educational services for local children with mild to profound hearing loss. Since its inception, the festival has raised three million US dollars for the cause.

11615km

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency