Philadelphia Artist Named
2009 Poster Design Contest Winner
NOTE: Content below is from 2009 event. Check back 3-4 weeks before the event for updated information.
Jess Ruben remembers riding her bike through lush country fields, eyeing colorful wildflowers and horses along the way. Growing up in Zionsville, Pennsylvania, her childhood experience was similar to living in rustic Half Moon Bay.
 Ruben, an intern at a successful architectural firm, is the winner of the 2009 Art and Pumpkin Festival Poster Design Contest. Her colorful image will be used in Pumpkin Festival promotional materials all over the Bay Area. The winning entry symbolizes Half Moon Bay – a tubby orange pumpkin resting on a robin’s egg blue crescent moon.
“The blue represents the ocean and the sky in Half Moon Bay,” Ruben explained. “I was really intrigued by this contest because I was asked to embody an actual town.”
The artist’s pencil drawing was enhanced by digital art software Adobe Illustrator. Ruben was awarded a $1000 cash prize, which she used toward her exciting trip to London, Milan and Budapest last spring.
Ruben always has been interested in design. Architects at her firm design K-12 schools, universities and churches. She enjoys her work because architecture combines the creative and technical sides of her personality.
“I remember when I was little, I always had a sketchbook with me,” she said. “I drew lots of flowers and animals. I also loved to write and illustrate stories.”
In high school, athletics replaced art for a short time. She rediscovered her love of art while touring a local university; she walked into the architecture department and instantly knew becoming an architect was her calling. Ruben enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia. While completing a semester abroad in Rome, she sketched buildings and visited numerous art galleries. That experience had a tremendous impact on the young artist.
Although she lives clear across the country, Ruben discovered the Pumpkin Festival contest while perusing a graphic design contest website. In addition to sketching, she enjoys leatherwork and reupholstering furniture.
“I enjoyed this experience so much and I’m sure I’ll continue to enter other competitions,” Ruben said. “I have never been to Half Moon Bay but I’d love to visit one day. I love small-town communities. Half Moon Bay is such a beautiful coastal town. I’m so fortunate to be a part of the festival this year.”
Entries from the 2010 Pumpkin Festival Poster Design Contest, a joint effort by the Coastal Arts League and Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee, will be on display at the Coastal Arts League, beginning with a reception on Saturday, October 10 from 4 pm to 7 pm and continuing through November 1. The public is invited to visit the CAL Gallery to vote for their favorite design (The People's Choice Award) while the contest entries are on display including Pumpkin Festival weekend, October 16-17.
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