The Festival at Sandpoint reveals 2023 Fine Arts Poster

By Reader Staff

The Festival at Sandpoint kicked off its summer celebration July 11 at its annual Sponsor Appreciation Event, revealing its 2023 poster art created by local, self-taught acrylic artist Tammy Zinke.

The FAS Fine Arts Poster has been a tradition since the beginning of the organization in 1983, though this year marked the first time the artist was selected in an open competition. Submissions started coming in during the fall of 2022, resulting in Zinke’s win for her piece titled “Harmonies in Nature.”

Inspired by the William Shakespeare quote, “The Earth has music for those who listen,” Zilke stated in a news release, “I strove to combine the musical spirit of nature with the musical spirit of the instruments played by humans. The Festival brings young and old the inspiration of music combined with the love of nature.”

The poster depicts a curving pathway of piano keys extending from beneath the iconic Festival tent — rendered as a leafy green canopy of trees — to a dock over the waters of the Pend Oreille River. Rays of light stream from a setting sun, glowing from the interior of a guitar laid sidelong across the horizon beneath an ethereal twilight sky dotted with musical notations.

According to the Festival, the piece began the way all of Zilke’s pieces do: on canvases she made from scratch with kiln-dried wood and cotton canvas.

“Harmonies in Nature,” by Tammy Zinke was chosen as the 2023 Fine Arts Poster for the Festival at Sandpoint.

Zinke, who grew on the Oregon Coast and has lived in Sandpoint for the past 30 years, draws her inspiration from nature.

“I focus on the way the atmosphere enhances, moment by moment, the changing mood as light and shadow bring, right before her eyes, a vision of the next painting, another beautiful portrait of Mother Earth,” she stated.

Zinke has donated the original piece to be auctioned, with funds raised supporting the Festival’s non-profit mission.

Zinke’s online art portfolio can be found at tzinkeartstudio.com or on Facebook at T Zinke Art Studio. She can also be found every Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at her studio located at 205 Vermeer Drive in Ponderay.

In addition to the 2023 Fine Arts Poster Art Contest winner, Maximillian Bazler, who is pursuing a degree in graphic and web design from North Idaho College, was selected as the 2023 Series Lineup Poster Artist.

The auction for this year’s artwork began July 11 and will conclude at the Grand Finale performance on Sunday, Aug. 6. Bids supporting the auction can be placed at the Festival’s office through Wednesday, July 26. The original art will be displayed at each evening concert of the Summer Series, which begins Thursday, July 27.

Approximately 20% of the Festival at Sandpoint’s annual revenue consists of donations. “Participating in the annual fine arts auction is a great way to support a local nonprofit and hopefully add a one-of-a-kind piece by a local artist to your collection,” the organization stated.

Signed prints of this year’s poster, as well as prints of all past posters, are now available for purchase at the Festival’s office at 525 Pine St. for $15. 

T-shirts and other limited 2023 merchandise are also on sale at the FAS office and will be available to purchase at the merch booth during the concerts.

Local artists are encouraged to enter the poster contest starting Friday, Sept. 1 to be considered as next year’s Fine Art Poster. The submission deadline for the 2024 poster contest is Feb. 1, 2024, at 5 p.m.

To learn more about the Festival at Sandpoint, the Fine Arts Poster Contest and past poster designs, visit festivalatsandpoint.com.