Submitted by David Halpern.

San Juan Artist David Halpern was honored to win the Originality Award for his submission in the 2025 Anacortes Arts Festival Juried Art Exhibit. The show ran during the annual Anacortes Arts Festival last weekend and drew submissions from Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia. Halpern’s award comes with an honorarium of $1,000.

You may have seen some of Halpern’s work at the San Juan Island Sculpture Park, where a flock of his Ghost Net Sheep graze. The sheep are made from recycled fish net with heads fashioned from 1930s vintage cedar fish floats. “I think of them as island iconic,” said Halpern. “Raising sheep and fishing have both been important parts of the island life for generations. It’s fun to bundle them together into a piece of art.”

Halpern worked as a cartoonist for about 25 years and until recently served as a park ranger at Lime Kiln State Park. His Anacortes Arts Festival submission of five sheep all sold during the event, but you can sometimes find him at our local Saturday Brickworks Market surrounded by his sheep, driftwood birds and other whimsical creatures.

In addition to his sheep, nine of Halpern’s driftwood birds are set up throughout the Sculpture Park as a scavenger hunt. Yellow beaks set on posts around the park indicate that a Discovery Bird can be found within 30 feet. Halpern said the scavenger hunt is a fun way to explore the park and all the great art there.