Jeff Anderson has been named the winner of the 2017 Puget Sound Bird Fest Poster Art Contest with his entry Lively Woodpecker. The piece was selected by a jury from among 20 entries, and will be featured on the promotional poster for the fall 2017 event.

The Puget Sound Bird Fest Poster Art Contest is held each spring to select a piece of original art to be used for the festival’s promotional poster. Sponsored by the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation, the winning artist is awarded a $200 prize. The festival theme this year is Woodpeckers of the Pacific Northwest.

Lively Woodpecker depicts the Pileated Woodpecker, North America’s largest woodpecker and an iconic species of the Pacific Northwest. The piece was selected for its technical merit and innovative technique that blends abstract and realistic elements, a unique and striking treatment of the border, and its background that suggests the rainy nature of the bird’s habitat.

“I really wanted the piece to show the beauty of the bird in an image that is very active, lively and colorful,” said the artist. “I’m used to seeing images of woodpeckers on trees, but not in the air, so I wanted to capture it both grounded, and in flight! The rest of the image is mostly abstract pattern and color to give a sense of its environment, and create active movement that encourages your eye to move around the image.”

Anderson is a local artist who grew up drawing. His work is highly influenced by film poster art, the work of Drew Struzan and Richard Amsel in particular. After 14 years as a professional designer, he recently returned to his artistic roots and is enjoying working with his hands, using the design sensibilities that he’s developed and applying them to traditional media. He currently works at Ten Gun Design in Edmonds.

The 2017 Puget Sound Bird Fest will be held in Edmonds on Sept. 15-17. For more information and details on upcoming events visit the festival website: www.pugetsoundbirdfest.org or contact Jennifer Leach at 425-771-0227 or by email at jennifer.leach@edmondswa.gov.