An artist’s touch for Port

Port Washington’s streets will soon be festooned with new banners showing off the best of the city — watercolor scenes depicting iconic images such as the lighthouse, Franklin Street, charter fishing boats heading out, the sprawling view from the Light Station atop St. Mary’s Hill and the Smith Bros. restaurant.

The images are the creation of Port artist Grace Winkel, whose work is likely familiar to those attending the city’s farmers market, where she sells cards, stickers, mugs, tote bags and more under the name Song and Sparrow Studio.

Her booth at the farmers market caught the attention of Kristina Tadeo, Port Main Street Inc.’s executive director, so when it came time to replace the banners that hang downtown, Tadeo said she immediately thought of Winkel.

“We needed to refresh the banners, and we really love highlighting local artists,” Tadeo said, noting the previous banners showcased work by Port artist Nicole Shaver.

“She (Winkel) has really lovely images of Port Washington on her cards. She’s very visible and well known locally, and we thought her art would be beautiful on our banners.”

Winkel said she and Tadeo brainstormed ideas for the images, which Main Street Inc. commissioned from her.

The two came up with a number of keywords, and Winkel turned those words into images.

She came up with six images, she said, and told Tadeo to pick her favorite five for the banners.

More than 50 banners sponsored by a Port business will be hung along Port’s main streets — Franklin and Wisconsin streets and Grand Avenue — as well as many of the side streets in downtown in the next week or so.

“I think it adds a pop of color and a bit of excitement to the downtown,” Tadeo said.

Winkel said her favorite image is an overview of downtown Port. It reminds her of one of her first Port pieces that was featured on a tote bag that sold well.

“There are a lot of people who have them on their tote bags,” she said.

It was through that image that she was able to connect with a number of people in the city, Winkel said.

And she’s done the image multiple times, she said, so she can trace her evolution as an artist with it.

“Being able to see that design change and evolve makes that my favorite,” Winkel said.

Winkel isn’t a formally taught artist — her degree is in early childhood education — but you can’t tell it from her artwork. It’s colorful, bold and beautiful, showcasing the community she loves.

“I have just always loved being creative,” she said. “I was able to graduate with my degree in early childhood education, but I love exploring this. It’s such a blessing.”

She said she’s bolstered the support of the community at large and by the help of Clint and Erin Price of Hummingbird  Images, who printed the tote bags with her images and have “taken me under their wing.”

Her husband Josiah is studying to be a pastor, so she’s taken this time to explore her artistic side.

The couple will spend next year in South Dakota, where her husband will serve as a vicar, she said, but she hopes they will return to Port after that — something she said is likely given Josiah will still have another year of classes and they both have family in the area.

But for now, she’s continuing to indulge her love of art and is anxiously awaiting the hanging of the banners.

“I still don’t really believe it,” she said. “I can’t wait to see them up there. I don’t know how I’ll feel until it actually happens. It’s so fun to be able to share it with people.

“It’s a really fulfilling feeling to know I’ve done something people can enjoy for a while.”