The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) is proud to announce Andy Saczynski is the winner of this year’s Festival of the Arts Poster Competition. Among the many creative entries, Saczynski’s design captured the judges’ attention with its vibrant colors, coastal theme and creative design.

“While it was a difficult decision, Andy’s piece simply had all the elements of a great poster design and represented the festival’s colorful, friendly coastal atmosphere,” said Festival of the Arts Poster Judge and Local Artist Cara Roy.

As 2013 South Walton Artist of the Year, Saczynski has been an ambassador for the area and its thriving art scene. His work has been classified as outsider or folk art. He primarily works with acrylic, found objects, recycled musical instruments, reclaimed wood, metal, and copper. For the poster design, he steered clear of mixed media, which often does not reproduce well on posters and merchandise, and used colorful acrylics to create an eye-catching piece that layers subjects instead of found items.

For his multi-media pieces, Saczynski doesn’t have to look far for inspiration or random items, which somehow they always find him. His parents have been collecting antiques his entire life and because of this creative influence, Saczynski has been developing ideas for years. He also finds his artistic inspiration through music and in Florida’s architecture, landscape, and wildlife.

“I first participated in the Destin Festival of the Arts in October 2010, and won the People’s Choice Award,” said Saczynski. “I credit that event for launching my art career, and I am honored that my poster design will represent the festival this year. When I painted the piece, I wanted to capture the vibrant color and artistic beauty of our coastal town as experienced through one of my favorite annual festivals.”

The MKAF event committee anticipates more than 100 juried artists from across the United States. With a wide variety of art mediums represented, including acrylic, clay, collage, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, mosaic, oil, pen and ink, photography, digital art, pastel, pottery, sculpture, fiber, textile, wood, and water color, participating artists will compete for more than $9,000 in cash prizes.

The Festival of the Arts will also feature a Collaborative Art Exhibit, showcasing more than 40 community adult and student artists. Other festival amenities include live musical entertainment, strolling performers, a bistro-style food court and a Kid’s ArtStop with interactive arts and crafts for children. Meyer Boarding Company is also joining the celebration of arts with skim board workshops that allow kids of all ages to design their own personalized board.

For more info, visit MattieKellyArtsFoundation.org or call 850-650-2226.