Paige Koesters used color pencil to draw the lifelike tulips. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Paige Koesters’ path in art has come full circle with her recent honor by the Women’s Guild of the Huntsville Museum of Art.

“I took classes at the Huntsville Museum of Art when I was younger. I also volunteered with the little kids two summers in a row,” Koesters said. “So this is like coming full circle.”

Koesters, a junior at Bob Jones High School, created artwork that earned the Women’s Guild’s award. Her art will be featured on the cover of promotional material for his year’s Art in Bloom, a three-day festival showcasing visual and floral arts starting March 31.

“Paige was inspired to do the work through a class project in color theory,” Bob Jones art teacher Robin Lakso said. Koesters’ art depicts a realistic, lifelike tulip in deep purple. Raindrops are gently sliding down the petals to add to stunning depiction of the flower.

“This art is a colored pencil drawing … her first!” Lakso said. “Paige figured out how to create the illusion of the sparkling drop of water, and, once she did, that’s what really makes her piece stand out.”

Tulips, Koesters’ favorite flower, were an obvious choice to draw. “My dad used to give them to me for Valentine’s Day when I was a little girl,” she said. “I love after it rains, and the sun comes out and the drops of rain glisten in the sun.”

With her honor, Koesters will receive $100 and note cards imprinted with the image of her colored pencil. The guild also will award $100 to the Bob Jones Art Department.

“I dream of going to the University of Alabama once I graduate in 2014,” Paige said. Her parents are Mark and Marlec Koesters.

The guild promotes education, supports exhibitions and acquires art objects for the museum. For more information, call 256-535-4350, ext. 217, email to hmaguild@gmail.com or visit Facebook/Women’s Guild of the Huntsville Museum of Art.