2023 Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta winning t-shirt art, by Eden Pflaher-Jones (Courtesy photo)
Eden Pflaher-Jones, the 2023 Damariscotta Pumpkinfest t-shirt art design winner (Courtesy photo)
The Pumpkinfest artist competition for T-shirt design has produced a winner, with 20 artists submitting entries, based on strict design criteria.
Damariscotta Pumpkinfest proudly announced Eden Pfahler-Jones, of Lisbon, as the winner of the competition. Pfahler-Jones is an accomplished “giant” in the area, a colorblind high school chemistry teacher, University of New England physics professor, and member of the National Guard.
Not only will Pfahler-Jones receive $500 award, but the design will be a collectible memory for thousands of attendees from across the country.
With a Texas A&M University education, University of Maine master’s degree in physics, and being a mother of three children, Pfahler-Jones does not claim to be an artist. She was, however, raised with a strong exposure to art: her mother was an art teacher.
Pfahler-Jones considers her “dabbling” in art as recreation, originally drawing characters from the children’s game, Dungeons and Dragons. She later morphed from pen and ink to digital art, with her winning design produced digitally.
The highly structured style of Pfahler-Jones’ art creates a clean, classic look, with depth.
“I chose a font and linked the letters closely, for a rustic, plank-styled feel — like oars in the water, with an overall circular design, as a nod to the pumpkin,” Pfahler-Jones said. “In creation of the waves, I realized there is a fun double entendre image, in suggestion of marine animals, as well.”
For more information, go to damariscottapumpkinfest.com.
