By Juan Aguilar / Asst. Inscape Editor
Airbrush Art (Diana Ly / Staff Photographer)
By Juan Aguilar / Asst. Inscape Editor
As they shook their cans of spray paint and added the finishing touch to their murals, graffiti artists earned the eyes of spectators who were in awe of the beautiful art created in front of them.
At the dotEDU Art and Music Festival held on May 15, hundreds of attendees got to see numerous works of art and hear a taste of music from many genres and styles presented by musicians and artists.
From graffiti and sketch artists to live bands and hip hop artists, experienced talent showed some skill that was definitely worth appreciating.
Put on by Associated Students of Riverside City College, the event took place on the RCC practice fields. Near the track was a 100 foot wide mural which featured the works of muralists like Dan Nguyen and Okeramyth.
The artists spent hours putting together their murals and created their own color palette by using crates full of spray cans assorted with beautiful colors.
When they were nearly done, photographers and spectators gathered around to take pictures of the remarkable murals that were truly background worthy.
These muralists painted images that were reminiscent of historical forms of art.
“My particular portion is focusing on basically the ancient and what’s relevant to my culture,” Okeramyth said.
His mural, along with the other murals, was a reflection of ancient art that transcends to innovative art, giving a clear picture of their influences.
But the murals were not the only pieces of stunning artwork as other artists set up their own tents to distribute their name and even put a price tag on particular pieces in demand by festival attendees.
Tables and makeshift walls were filled with the work of some very talented artists.
Using tools such as stencils, colored ink and paint to draw some unique images that looked fascinating to any spectator, anyone can appreciate the amount of detail and skill put into the art.
A contemporary visual artist, Maurice Howard, had some of the most interesting and unique drawings at his booth.
His style of art consisted of cube patterns and a variety of colors coming together to create an image of a person, particularly their face.
Surprisingly enough, with all the different colors and patterns, the images made perfect sense and were truly beautiful in their own way.
Howard has been doing artwork for the past 40 years, but took a 20 year hiatus to support his family by working endlessly, which he felt took away from his artistic ability.
“I started working, so it sort of takes away from the creativity,” Howard said.
“So now that I’ve gotten away from the work thing, I’m going to concentrate on supporting myself through art,” he said.
Needless to say that his 20 year break did not show at all after looking at everything he put up for everyone to see.
And as the festival nearly came to an end, the stage was set and the spectators gathered around to watch the sensational hip hop artist, Cleen.
His slow beats and rhythmic flows got the crowd moving as they were dancing and bumping their heads to the music.
Many use art as a unique way to express a variety of emotions, many of which individuals can connect with.
At an exhibition like the dotEDU Art and Music Festival, you can see those connections and you can feel the artistic energy flowing from booth to booth.
Unity through art is wonderful and united the artists were as they displayed their amazing talents for everyone to see.
The art of salsa (Diana Ly / Staff Photographer)