Artist Spotlight - Byron Peck

Building on its participation in the first annual Vintage Crystal - A Taste of Wine & Jazz, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival procured local artist Byron Peck to paint the Crystal Flight plane it sponsored. "Mood Indigo's" artistic concept involves gradiated transitions of colors and abstract designs intermixed with depictions of Duke Ellington on opposite sides of the plane.

About Byron
Over the last twenty-five years PeckStudios and, more recently its non-profit partner City Arts, have been commissioned to create over 80 murals, mosaics, and other public artworks. The majority of our past public artworks are site-specific designs that are inspired by the unique environment for which they were created. Many have been created with input and participation from the communities in which the artworks are located. Our studio's approach to public art is to maximize the artwork's relevance to the architectural and natural environment of the site, in addition to local history, culture, and purpose of site.

About Duke Ellington Jazz Festival

The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival (DEJF) is an annual celebration that honors musical genius and native Washingtonian Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. Each year, tens of thousands of music lovers come together in the nation’s capital to share in the city’s rich Jazz history, to see local and world renowned Jazz artists and to pay tribute to legendary Jazz greats. The festival features more than 100 performances and programs in 35 venues citywide. Its impressive mix of local, national and international Jazz artists meets the diverse interests of Jazz aficionados and families from Washington, DC, and around the country and world. DEJF is a project of Festivals DC, Ltd. a non-profit educational organization.

The fourth Duke Ellington Jazz Festival will be held October 1 – 7, 2008 throughout Washington, DC. Go to www.dejazzfest.org to join the festival’s mailing list and receive periodic updates and schedules.