October is a busy month. Farmers are busy in the fields harvesting many of their crops. Kids are busy in school, now in full swing. Animals are busy preparing themselves for another cold winter. It should be no surprise that the color that decorates our landscape is busy, too. Summer’s only-so-different shades of green quickly transform into Autumn’s inspiring kaleidoscope of colors: various shades orange, yellow, and red.

One man inspired by this sudden blast of color is Prairie du Chien illustrator John Mundt. Six years ago (2004), Mundt founded the Fallfire Art Contest to, as he says, “challenge artists to flex their creative muscles”.

Mundt says he was inspired to facilitate the conest by the sights and sounds of Autumn. “Fall always puts me in a very creative mood,” he says, “I hope to share that feeling with this creativity-inducing exercise.” The core requirement of the contest is to create a work inspired by the word “fallfire”.

Entries for the contest are accepted during the month of October, with a deadline of midnight on Halloween night. Mundt says there is usually a wide variety of entries. “Winning Fallfire entries from previous years included music, poetry, photographs, woven art, mixed media, jewelry,” he states, “and even a set of note cards.”

Prizes will be awarded in four different categories: Photography, Two-Dimensional Art, Written Works, and Other Media. A Grand Prize is also awarded, though Mundt only somewhat jokingly contends, “just enjoying the process should be a prize in itself!” Award winners will be notified on November 2nd. That will be followed by a ceremony and gallery display later in the month.

More info at: http://www.fallfire.org