This year, in the spirit of bringing together creative expression and love for nature, the KNPS Board decided to have a Wildflower Weekend 2024 Logo Design Contest. This was an open design contest to come up with a logo for Wildflower Weekend 2024. The logo will be used on t-shirts, hoodies, and coffee cups, as well as on all publicity about the event.
We put out a call to artists and graphic designers who were members of the Kentucky Native Plant Society in early December. We asked the designers to submit designs that incorporated either the great white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) or the stinking Benjamin, a.k.a. red trillium (T. erectum) or both. These charismatic species are commonly found decorating the floors of the rich forests in the Natural Bridge/Red River Gorge area. The submitted designs were then presented to the KNPS membership for voting during the month of January.
We did not know what the response would be so we were thrilled when we received 11 gorgeous designs, well beyond our expectations! The members of KNPS responded in kind, surpassing our expectations as we received nearly 140 votes, by far the biggest response we have ever received for an online poll. Voting came down to a nail-biting close race, and we had to have a runoff between the top two designs. At the end of the runoff, the beautiful logo featured above came out on top as the winning entry. The design, a contemporary interpretation of the iconic Trillium species crafted into a logo with a care-free and breezy sentiment of Spring, was submitted by Rick Mullenix of London, KY.
Rick Mullenix, Winner
“I have been a graphic designer for 19 years, and am a new member of the KNPS. I appreciate being part of this group and look forward to learning a lot. This design was a joy to work on. It is in the style of a badge design, I felt this would work well across the different mediums it would be printed in. My goal was to evoke a breezy, spring-style feel with the colors and the layout. Even though the trilliums both had distinct parts, I loved seeing the different interpretations of them in all the submissions.”
Gallery of Wildflower Weekend 2024 Logo Entries
Any of the designs would have made a lovely logo! Each of the designs feature unique and beautiful takes on some of Kentucky’s most well-known natural areas and species. KNPS extends our thanks and appreciation for all the artists that took the time to submit their creative visions.
Take a few minutes to review the rest of the designs and learn a bit about each of the designers. As you scroll through, be sure to click or tap on the images to see them full size. The submissions are listed by the artists’ last name, and do no indicate the placement in the competition.
Madison Courtney
Madison Courtney is an artist, advocate, amateur photographer, and marketer currently serving as the Communications Director at AMI/USA. With a background in marketing and graphic design spanning six years, Madison brings creativity and strategic thinking to her current role, blending her passion for art and education. Formerly a Montessori teacher, Madison created vibrant classrooms that incorporated nature and plants, fostering a connection between her students and the natural world. She is a strong advocate for children with disabilities and serves on the founding board of LEAF (Lexington Elevating Abilities Foundation) providing financial support to children in need of services. In her personal life, Madison enjoys hiking with her husband and dog, identifying and photographing plants and fungi along the way. As a new member of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, she is excited to be part of a community that shares her enthusiasm for the native flora of Kentucky.
Barbara Degraves
Barbara DeGraves is a freelance nature artist and photographer. With over 30 years of experience, she renders her realistic art in a variety of techniques but prefers colored pencils, pastels, and ink. She exhibits her mixed media artwork and photography in various exhibits around Bowling Green, KY.
Since moving to Kentucky, she and her husband have transformed their barren treeless yard into a welcoming acre for pollinators and birds. Their yard recently achieved a “Certified Butterfly Garden” status by North American Butterfly Association. The property includes pocket prairies, bird magnet hedges and a wide variety of host perennials and shrubs to support native pollinators.
While on a hiking trip to eastern Kentucky, she photographed a patch of great white trillium and captured an image of a duskywing skipper feeding on one of the flowers. This unique image combined with her other reference photographs of trillium inspired her ink illustration for her KNPS logo submission.
Besides being a KNPS member, she is also an active member and former board member of Wild Ones SoKY. Through national Wild Ones she has won multiple awards for her native plant photography.
Cheryll Frank
Cheryll Frank has been an artist and amateur naturalist from an early age. She has a BS in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Kentucky. Her most recent endeavor is ‘rewilding’ 10 acres in Scott County, where she lives with her husband Bruce (also an artist) and a four-legged population. Earliest efforts at creating a small Miyawaki-style forest as a hedgerow has boosted the bird population to 72 species. “I tried to evoke some of the excitement old postcards from the 1930’s promised the intrepid traveler. The diminutive trillium in a limited time engagement, contrasted with the massive edifice of Natural Bridge.”
Clarissa Geaner
Clarissa Gearner is an architectural historian from Rowan County, Kentucky. The daughter of biology educators, Clarissa grew up in the woods of Eastern Kentucky and has had a lifelong love of nature and art. She received a Master of Historic Preservation degree and Cultural Landscape Conservation certificate at the University of Georgia and wrote her thesis on proposing interpretive efforts to educate Red River Gorge visitors on the Eastern Agricultural Complex, a center of plant domestication that occurred in the Eastern United States. Through her thesis writing process, Clarissa learned a great deal about Kentucky’s native plant species and developed an even greater appreciation for them. Clarissa returned to Kentucky in 2023 and was excited to participate in the KNPS logo design contest, especially since Wildflower Weekend 2024 will be hosted at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Her design, a gouache painting, includes both the great white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) and the stinking Benjamin trillium (Trillium erectum), with a vignette of Natural Bridge.
Joy Hopkins
Joy Hopkins grew up near the Smokies in East Tennessee. Her initial loves were horses and art, and she quickly added a passion for the outdoors and all things nature. Joy received a bachelor’s degree in studio art with a minor in Appalachian studies. She has worked for over 30 years in fields of outdoor adventure and education, incorporating artwork into her projects. Joy moved to Southeast Kentucky in the spring of 2022 with her botanist husband Boyd, also a professional outdoor educator and naturalist. The two of them are daily amazed at the treasures that this trove of Kentucky reveals, from beautiful waterfalls in the Red River Gorge to exquisite wildflowers in their own backyard. They love sharing the splendor of God’s creation with others and are blessed by the opportunity to do so.
Elizabeth Mefford
My name is Elizabeth Mefford. I am a transplant to Carroll County, Kentucky via the Ohio River, originally from Switzerland County, Indiana. I am a 4-H volunteer in Natural Resources and really enjoy working with children. I recently joined KNPS, just beginning to educate myself on the wonders of native plant species. My hope is to impart what I am learning on to the next generation of plant lovers.
Nikki Nivision
Hi my name is Nikki! I’m a conservation educator with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and there I found my passion for Kentucky’s native plant species and the role they play for our many different wildlife species. I saw this design competition as an opportunity to show my love for wildflowers through my art. I hope that you all enjoy all the different designs.
Anne Proffitt
My name is Anne H. Proffitt, a 6th generation Kentuckian living in Louisville. I’ve enjoyed a lifetime of wildflowers, birds and natural beauty from our state and share my joy through my artwork. I paint and draw free hand, focusing on the wildflowers and birds of Kentucky! When I’m not painting or at work, I appreciate the great outdoors in all-weather. One of my favorite places to be is Bernheim Forest in Nelson County. I am a Volunteer Naturalist there, helping our visitors connect more deeply with nature.
Kellene Turner
“Nostalgia, expression, culture and imagination. Artistry for everyday and extraordinary circumstances, ultimately becoming an integral part of our existence. “ -Kellene Turner Art
Being a muralist and fine artist I get to capture lifestyle, culture, history and an audience sometimes with or without intention. When I am not working in the studio you can find me on the water or in the wilderness studying nature. Creating is truly raw and a personal experience and the ability to share this process with others brings me great joy.
