Bahrain: An Indian couple living in Bahrain is finalising preparations to take part in a major international street painting festival in the US.
Limnesh Augustine and Jincy Babu, who are both artists, are in Florida for the Sarasota Chalk Festival, which attracts over 100 artists travelling from all over the US and 30 other countries.
It is being organised by Florida-based non-profit corporation Avenida Des Colores and will end on November 16.
Mr Augustine, who works for the Interior Ministry, previously broke a Guinness World record for the largest three-dimensional anamorphic painting.
The image Piece 4 Peace, measured at 2,293.79 sqm, was created by Mr Augustine’s team along with students and staff of the New Horizon School, as part of a carnival held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for charity work and youth affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
A team of 120 artists and 50 volunteers completed the painting in less than four hours in February 2012.
“I first took part in the Sarasota Chalk Festival in 2013,” Mr Augustine told the GDN.
“In 2014, we could not attend even though we received an invitation as me and Jincy were busy with our All India 3D Painting roadtrip.
“We both have been painting since our childhood, although our paintings limited to canvas were mostly oil and acrylic, but upon realisation in 2012 that street painting opens up a limitless canvas such as pavements, roads, mall floors and parking lots, our enthusiasm increased exponentially.
“The 3D Painting was also the reason we both got to know each other.”
The husband and wife will be part of an international team led by renowned artist Kurt Wenner, who invented 3D pavement art.
The theme of this year’s festival, which was founded in 2007, is ‘Eat, Drink and Be Merry’.
“I am equally passionate in technology as well as art,” added Mr Augustine.
“Recently I have been working on developing robotics algorithm to help artists draw grids quickly which can help them save a lot of time as making grids on the road is a non-creative process.
“So art and engineering is always a good combination.”
For more information on the festival, visit www.chalkfestival.org.
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