PALM BEACH GARDENS — Leon Ruiz’s paintings carry generations of talent and practice in each brush stroke and color choice.

The Mexico City-born painter comes from a long line of artists and art history experts who inspired him to lean into his talent for capturing the feeling of a place on a canvas. And Ruiz has captured the essence of South Florida living for this year’s ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival poster.

The poster, which was unveiled at Palm Beach Gardens’ City Hall on Jan. 26, is a light and airy landscape peppered with colorful palm trees and sailboats. Ruiz says that the rainbow-topped palm trees are there to show the colorful and playful energy created by the people that make Palm Beach County what it is.

“Florida has residents from all over the world who bring so much flavor to the state,” Ruiz said. “The colors on the palm trees are meant to represent the joy, energy and uniqueness that the residents bring to this lovely state.”

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The yellow, red, green and blue sailboats scattered on the shore of the painting are Leon’s way of bringing a hint of action to the still life. Their sails reflecting in the water are a nod to how much time Floridians spend enjoying our natural playgrounds.

“You can scuba, swim, sail, kayak and so on,” Ruiz said. “There’s so much to do in this lovely state. … The painting wouldn’t be the same without the sailboats representing the action that Florida waters see every day.”

Ruiz has been featured as the poster artist for two other festivals in Florida. He painted the event posters for Images: A Festival of the Arts in New Smyrna Beach and ArtFest Fort Myers.

This February will be the Naples-based artist’s second time showcasing his work at ArtiGras. After many years of applying to the festival and not being invited to show his paintings, Ruiz says he’s honored and thrilled to be the featured artist.

“It was definitely worth the wait,” Ruiz said. “ArtiGras is such a unique and memorable show. It has years of history, and being part of the list of talented poster artists for such an incredible show is humbling.”

This will be the 38th year of the festival, which is held annually over Presidents’ Day weekend. The poster, titled “Palm Beach Gardens,” will be available for festivalgoers to purchase at the show. ArtiGras guests can also meet Ruiz, as he will be there on both days.

ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 18 and 19.

Where: Gardens North County District Park, 5101 117th Ct N, Palm Beach Gardens

Information: The festival will feature a youth art competition and an Amazon Artikids Zone with games and activities centered around art and learning. The kids zone is meant for children 12 and under, who get free admission to the festival. ArtiGras tickets are $15 per day.

Lianna Norman covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at lnorman@pbpost.com. You can follow her reporting on social media @LiannaNorman on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival in Palm Beach Gardens reveals its poster