Wisconsin native Patrice Federspiel moved to Hawaii 10 years ago with the intention of becoming a full-time artist. Her volunteering at the Haleiwa Arts Festival helped seal the deal of staying in the islands.

A decade later, Federspiel has become a noted watercolor artist, and her "Spirit of the Dance" painting has been chosen as the festival’s showcase image for 2010.

From the get-go, she said, "I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It’s fabulous, and I like the way it’s run, plus it supports the education programs out there."

Federspiel, whose pieces can be found in the Trump Tower and Nohea Galleries, admits to being "a very prolific artist. I have a lot of original art, plus giclee and laser prints," she said. As part of the festival’s annual jury process, she entered five pieces to be evaluated by the festival’s board of directors, including executive director Gary Anderson and event coordinator Joan Gossett.

Federspiel is one of the 125 artists from Hawaii and the mainland who were selected to be part of this year’s festival. "This is truly a fine arts festival," she said. "In years past, some artists were able to be grandfathered in, but this year the festival made sure everyone’s art was up to standards."

Some of the artists whose work will be on display and on sale that Federspiel is looking forward to include ocean photographer Clark Little, whose work was recently published in book form; photographer John Johnson; wood sculptor Jay Marr; ceramist Jerome Heck; fiber artist Melissa Dawson; and fellow painters Lynn Weir, Gary Reed, Mark Brown, Margo Goodwill, Tim Nguyen, Heather Brown and Ed Furuki. Look too for work by photographer David Carro, a surfer who now has become equally passionate about capturing images of the North Shore.

"Back in 2001 there were only 57 artists involved, so the number has more than doubled over the last 10 years," she said.

The transition from becoming a creative services director for a library supply company back in the Midwest to a working artist has been a relatively easy one for Federspiel, a watercolor teacher at the Kaimuki Community School for Adults.

"The arts community of Oahu has been so welcoming, and I’ve learned so much about the business while I’ve been here. I needed to make a big shift in my life, and I’m glad I did."

The Haleiwa Arts Festival not only features the visual arts, but children’s art activities, demonstrations and student art, as well as fun stuff such as Haleiwa town trolley tours and live entertainment. Here’s the schedule: