AAG Member Won Statewide Competition
Each year, the winning piece in the North Charleston Arts Fest Poster Design Competition becomes the official poster design of the festival. It appears on all promotional materials and merchandise, including posters, billboards, print and digital advertisements, television commercials, program booklets, and apparel, as well as online. The winning artist receives a $500 purchase award and a solo exhibition at the North Charleston City Gallery in conjunction with the May festival.
Last year’s winner was Anderson Artists Guild member Hamed Mahmoodi, the first winner not from the South Carolina coast.
His piece, Atlantic Sun, was made with acrylic and lacquer on aqua tint and pastel chalk and measures 34 by 30 inches. The inspiration for this painting was the swirl. “Throughout my more recent years, I have discovered the swirl that permeates energy and the way all objects come to be from beginning to end,” he said. “I then translate this swirl of mixed colors to come together to create an image which, at the time, can be hidden or be part of the overall harmony. To that extent, I create bodies of works that are cohesive, yet each one stands out as though they are all related to the core style and interpretation. Atlantic Sun grew out of my more recent years of discovering the swirl that permeates energy and the way all objects come to be from beginning to end. In this specific artwork, the swirl of mixed colors came together in an overall harmony, creating an image.”
Ann Simmons, deputy director of the Cultural Arts Department for the City of North Charleston, said, “The selection committee responded positively to the vibrancy of the colors within the piece and the energy and movement created by the brushstrokes. These elements worked well to convey the spirit of the festival as a public celebration of diversity, arts, and culture.” Atlantic Sun is now part of the City of North Charleston’s Public Art Collection and is displayed in North Charleston City Hall.
The deadline for the 2019 competition is December 15, 2018. Only South Carolina artists are eligible. Categories of work accepted are acrylic, oil, drawing, pastel, watercolor, and 2-D mixed media. Entries are submitted online at www.NorthCharlestonCulturalArtsDepartment.Slideroom.com.
For more information, visit https://northcharlestonartsfest.com/apply/.
