NATCHEZ — For Natchez artist Katelee Laird, the first sight of balloons glowing on the Mississippi River bluff evokes a childlike enthusiasm.

“The balloon glow has this ambiance,” Laird said. “As a kid, you stand under the balloons and think, ‘Oh my gosh. This is real.”

The annual balloon glow is one of Laird’s favorite parts of the Natchez balloon festival, Laird said and is one that she wanted to celebrate on canvas.

“I guess it is a just a feeling of excitement that never goes away,” Laird said. “When I think about the balloon glow, I am like a child at heart.”

Laird’s painting of balloons glowing on the bluff with a colorful bouquet of fireworks exploding above the Mississippi River Bridge was selected as the Natchez Balloon Festival poster and T-shirt design.

This year will be a first for the 34-year-old event. Posters and T-shirts will feature a new name and a new logo — changes organizers sought to highlight the city’s name and emphasize all of the festival events the annual weekend has to offer.

“It is an exciting and fun weekend,” Laird said.

Laird’s artwork was also selected for the 2016 balloon festival. Since then, two of Laird’s original paintings were also featured on posters for the annual Four Rivers Balloon Festival in Jonesville.

Although she has never been fortunate to fly untethered in a hot-air balloon, Laird said she is naturally attracted to the event.

“I like to paint happy, colorful artwork,” Laird said.

Since she painted her first design for the balloon festival, Laird has also ventured into doing art fulltime.

For years, she had worked with her mother’s sign company on  Liberty Road, where she hand-painted signs.

“It was fun, but I am young and thought I would try to be a fulltime artist,” Laird said.

She made the transition in Oct. 2017 and also opened a studio above the old Burns Shoe Store overlooking Main Street.

Since then, Laird has kept busy painting original artwork and commission pieces, including painting on location for wedding ceremonies and receptions.

“I go there with a blank canvas and paint either the ceremony or the reception,” Laird said.

Laird said she has painted weddings in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama.

“I am usually painting a wedding every single weekend,” Laird said.

Laird said she is pleased with how much work she has to do. She has so much work that she cannot get to some community projects she has planned for the future. Recently she has hosted “Paint Your Pet” classes to help raise money for the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society, and she hopes to one day offer summer classes for children.

“I keep waiting for it to slow down and it hasn’t,” Laird said. “I am not complaining.”