Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art unveils 2016 poster

Celia Wester’s “Sunny Day Palm” Emerges as this Year’s Winner

Celia Wester has emerged as the winner of the Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art poster contest.  In a piece entitled “Sunny Day Palm”, Wester captures the essence of summer in the Lowcountry. A colorful palm and marsh grass are the central images with musical notes and a keyboard adding a whimsical touch.
A Charlotte, NC native who now calls Georgetown, SC home, Wester enjoys painting local scenery and wildlife. The color, texture and patterns of nature are woven throughout her subject matter. “My objective is to create a greater awareness of all that is around us and to ensure that we do not miss the flower for a view of the garden,” she said.

Wester’s artistic career began as an illustrator and designer for a corporate display company. In 1990 and continuing until 2001, she operated her own business specializing in structural exhibits and faux finishes for corporate, residential and celebrity clients throughout the Southeast.

During that time she was involved in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and was selected to design and illustrate material used in the North Carolina state summer reading program – a 28-page booklet and accompanying collateral material.

Recognized for her versatile style and use of detailed imagery and vivid color, Wester has been featured in a number of publications and her work is hung in homes and galleries throughout the US. She has been an exhibitor in the juried Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson, Texas, a designer/muralist for the Northeast Medical Hospital emergency wing/pediatrics floor in Concord, NC; and an exhibitor in the National Art Expo in Dallas, TX and Atlanta, GA.

“Each year the selection of a winner becomes more difficult,” said Executive Director, Delores Blount. “Our entire committee was impressed with Celia’s work. “Sunny Day Palm” not only represents the Lowcontry, it conveys the fun and excitement associated with the Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art.”

About the Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art

The Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art, held at The Reserve Golf Club of Pawleys Island, is a 501(c)(3) which features three weeks of cultural entertainment and musical performances, including a Wine Gala that serves as the event’s primary fundraiser.