HOLLAND, Mich. — A Byron Center artist and educator is behind the official poster for the 97th Tulip Time Festival in Holland after winning the First Bloem Poster Competition. The festival runs May 1 through May 10.
Jill Gates, who runs Little Fine Arts Studio in Byron Center, took home the honor with her watercolor piece "Legacy in Blue and Bloom."
"It just reminds me of, what am I going to pass down to my children, what stories are they going to carry on?" Gates said, describing her thought process behind the poster.
She said the imagery in her piece carries deep personal meaning.
"The vase itself is, you know, talks about heritage," Gates said. "And then the tulips are representative of God's creation. And it's about family. And different stages of your life."
The watercolor, which took more than 20 hours to complete, is now featured on mugs, T-shirts, coasters, and other merchandise available at the Tulip Time office.
For Gates, seeing her work reproduced on merchandise was a surreal experience.
"To know that it's going to be in a lot of people's homes, and they're going to give them away more for gifts, and that's just, it's just kind of like, really?" Gates joked.
Now, Gates said she is looking forward to returning to the festival with her family when it opens May 1.
"It's a great family time. I have five children, and to be able to walk around in the green spaces and really let them be able to be kids," Gates said. "It's so much fun just to be able to be outside, just to be able to walk around, and just to be in part of a community."
