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The Edmonds Arts Festival has selected painter Ben Groff as the featured artist for its 2026 poster, highlighting a twilight view of the Frances Anderson Center at dusk.
Groff’s commissioned painting, “Sunset Over Frances Anderson Center,” will represent the 69th annual Edmonds Arts Festival, set for June 19-21, at the Frances Anderson Center and Playfield.
“The painting evokes a quiet moment at dusk when the town settles into evening and the sky becomes the main event. The work invites viewers to pause, breathe, and feel the sense of place that makes Edmonds special,” according to the festival’ press release.
“Color is light and light is color,” Groff said. “They are tools to pry open a spiritual level — the deep and powerful impression the original scene made on me. A good painting should make that same impression on the viewer.”
The painting was created specifically for the festival and its longtime location.
“When the Edmonds Arts Festival came to me with this commission for poster art, I was asked to include the Frances Anderson Center, the current ‘home’ of the festival, in the finished painting,” Groff said. “I immediately envisioned a twilight scene with a big, brilliant sky, a chiaroscuro foreground in sharp perspective, and the beloved vista of water and mountains that make Edmonds such a special place.”
Originally from Pennsylvania and New York, Groff has spent much of his life in the Puget Sound region. He previously worked as a nurse at Virginia Mason Hospital and has pursued interests in hiking, mountaineering, travel, music, photography, art and literature. He is also a published fiction writer and a member-artist at Parklane Gallery in Kirkland, where his work is on view.
The poster artwork will serve as the official image of the 2026 festival and will appear on posters, merchandise and promotional materials. Limited-edition posters signed by the artist will be available during the event.
Now in its 69th year, the Edmonds Arts Festival is among the longest-running arts festivals in the Pacific Northwest, celebrating visual arts, music, student creativity and community along Puget Sound.
The 2026 Edmonds Arts Festival will take place Father’s Day weekend, June 19-21, at the Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main St., Edmonds.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.edmondsartsfestival.com.
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