The Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina, Kansas has been a cultural highlight of the year for local, area, and national art and music lovers for more than a half-century. I was happy to be invited to design the t-shirt for the 50-year anniversary of the event. The concept was a hot air balloon in the shape of a human head, flying over the Festival, excited participants gazing up from Oakdale Park below. The concept and style of the illustration was influenced by images from my sketchbooks.

Here’s a fun video that Festival organizers put together to show the design process, and below are images of the t-shirt and the tank top.