'Out of this world' Festival poster unveiled
<p>Painter Lucy West stands beside her artwork, which will serve as the poster for this year's Festival at Sandpoint.</p>
DOVER - When the first notes of the Festival at Sandpoint fill the night sky, the stars above won't be the only ones sparkling.
They will also fill the canvas of an original artwork created by award-winning painter Lucy West, who was chosen by a committee of her artistic peers, comprised of the Festival's past poster artists, to create a piece of original artwork for the Festival at Sandpoint's 33rd annual season.
The poster was unveiled at a packed event Thursday in Dover Bay.
As the drape was pulled away, there were gasps of delight and cheers, followed by a sustained round of applause.
The response stunned West.
"Wow," she said. "Simply wow."
West told the large crowd that her poster is a shout-out to the community she loves.
"This is my intention of celebrating the spirit of Sandpoint, all the colorful ways the community expresses itself and connects and just the spirit of the Festival," she said.
And, because she loves space and the stars, she had to include those, said West.
West thanked friends, family and fellow artists for helping her do what she does.
"There's just so many people here that I know and I love," she said. "I'm glad you're here."
Noting that it isn't often that an artist finds herself behind a microphone, she said she wanted to thank her husband, Brent Binnal.
"Without him, I would not want to paint pretty pictures," she said.
West has more than 30 years experience as a professional artist and her works have been commissioned or exhibited by notable venues such as NASA's Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center, the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center in Sagle, as well as fine art galleries and private collectors worldwide. Her space and science compositions are popular in aerospace and science communities and are collected by astronauts, astronomers and scientists.
In both 2012 and 2013, West won best in show honors at the internationally celebrated space conference Spacefest. She is a member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists. Her works have been published in books, magazines and websites.
Festival's Executive Director Dyno Wahl called this year's artwork "out of this world!"
"I literally gasped with excitement when I saw it," she said. "The night sky is such a special part of the Festival experience and Lucy's artwork captures all the 'wow' elements of the 'celestial festival' that accompanies the music each summer."
The original artwork was unveiled at the packed Thursday reception. Silent bidding for the original artwork continues through The Festival's summer concert series, Aug. 6-16, at Memorial Field. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit summer concert series.
In keeping with tradition, the winning bidder will be awarded the original piece of artwork during intermission at The Grand Finale concert, "Viva Italia" with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, Aug. 16.
In addition to posters, other merchandise featuring Larson's artwork, including T-shirts and notecards, will be available at the Festival's merchandise booth throughout the Festival season.
The annual summer concert series draws approximately 20,000 people annually from Sandpoint and the surrounding region - Washington, Montana, Oregon, Canada and beyond - for two weeks of eclectic concerts under the stars on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille.
This year's musical lineup stars Arlo Guthrie, Ziggy Marley, Vince Gill, Lake Street Dive, The Devil Makes Three, Trampled by Turtles, Wilco, and The Spokane Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Gary Sheldon and piano soloist Vadim Neselovskyi. Concert tickets are available by calling 208-265-4554 or online at www.FestivalAtSandpoint.com.