Each year I am honored to have the opportunity to illustrate the poster for the Festival of Lights here in Colorado Springs. The festival is an incredibly illuminating community gathering that kicks off the holiday season with a festive parade of lights in downtown. This is not only a special tradition for me as an illustrator, but also for our family.
The festival is always a time of gathering with our family and friends, bundling up, and ooooing and awwwing at the creativity and festivity of the floats. Each year I try to capture that special memory through the various themes of the festival. This years poster was inspired by watching my 3 kids bring to life memories through their imagination. The way children love to experience an event over and over through imaginative play and put themselves into those moments is truly a gift that we tend to loose as we grow older. I love how the festival brings back that feeling of being young at heart and entranced by the glow of community cheer and cherished holiday traditions.
I thought it would be fun to have a look back at the past 9 years of illustrating these posters. Watching the style/techniques develop is quite entertaining … always good to look back and see growth, eh? I truly hope they bring you a bit of holiday cheer and creative inspiration as you look back on years past and toward a new year.
