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Published on Monday, November 07, 2011
By LA Daily News Staff Writer
When the clouds let loose over the weekend on beautiful downtown Burbank, they threatened to wash away 100 years of history.
But when the rain stopped Sunday on the Downtown Burbank Arts Festival, the city's centennial chalk artists whose work was soaked went right back to the drawing board -- the street.
"We wouldn't miss a day," said Burbank artist Randall Williams, 54, etching the meow back into the cat from "Catwoman," made in the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank. "You gotta go for it.
"Burbank is excellent. No better place to live. Happy Birthday."
The winter-like low pressure front had dropped up to a half inch of rain on the San Fernando Valley overnight.
But as the sun began to peer through dappled storm clouds, artists on San Fernando Boulevard between Magnolia Boulevard and Olive Avenue were ready.
And as the streets dried for passersby with an extra hour of sleep, the chalk artists hit the pavement.
"The rain pretty much wiped out a half century of history, and a half day of my art," said Nick Geo, 31, of North Hollywood, preparing to restore his faded tribute to the Walt Disney Co., based in Burbank, with a new Pinocchio, elephant from "Fantasia," and a new Mickey Mouse. "But I'm undaunted.
"It's like the Buddhist principle: the tide will wash away all art; it all comes back."
Up and down the Main Street-style boulevard, artists celebrated art, commerce, and the media city founded in 1911 by dentist David Burbank.
One of the first spots of sunshine hit artist Peter Dziulak of San Diego, who'd carved woodblocks stacked into medieval castles for young and old alike.
Ora Tamir, whose surrealistic paintings featured women riding monarch butterflies, rolled back the door of her vendor tent.
"Ora means light," said the Israeli native, who lives in Newbury Park. "We believe this day will be full of light."
The light illuminated the photography of Paul Renner, a former home remodeler who now operates camera safaris to Kenya and Tanzania.
"The best sellers are the lions, when they're being affectionate," said Renner, 61, of Laguna Beach. "Surprisingly, the giraffes sell well."
The rain had cleaned the air, doused the streets and edified a Sunday morning.
"Art is a celebration of life," said Alexandra Kube of Valley Village, displaying mostly desert landscapes. "Even if it rains
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