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Father Inspired Poster Winner

Highlands Today photo by JASMINA MEYER

Monica Goodwin-Turner, winner of the Caladium Festival art contest, lives on her Sebring ranch with her husband and children Lantana, 4, Mandolin, 2, and Vidalia, 3-months-old.

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By BILL RETTEW JR.

Highlands Today

Published: August 17, 2008

LAKE PLACID - In a town that takes the arts seriously, Monica Goodwin Turner was chosen as the contest winner for the official poster and T-shirt for the 18th annual Caladium Festival.

Goodwin Turner is a Florida native. This is the fourth time her work was used to promote the largest event of the year in the Caladium Capital of the World.

The inspiration for this year's poster and T-shirt was her father, Monte Goodwin. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service last year after 25 years of service.

Goodwin Turner said she often drew her father while he worked.

"He would come home and tell us stories about dogs chasing him and trying in the summer to find a few places to get out of the heat." said the 29-year-old Sebring woman.

The winning contest entry was painted on canvas with acrylics. It features envelopes, with stamps designed for the Caladium Festival and cancelled with a customized cancellation mark.

Goodwin Turner was home schooled and started drawing as a toddler. She painted flower pots for a local florist when she was 15. She worked for the Caladium Coop and has painted several murals for local art patrons.

She enjoys painting wildlife, Cracker Cowboy scenes and Florida settings.

Goodwin Turner, and her husband, Crockett Turner, live on a small ranch in Sebring with their daughters, Lantana,4, Mandolin, 2, and Vidalia, 3 months.

"All good things come from God, and I am thankful for the talent given me," said Goodwin Turner about her work. "I never went to school. I never had lessons.

"It's a gift from God."

Bill Rettew Jr. may be contacted at 386-5857 or wrettew@highlandstoday.com

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