Amanda Warren hates the word “crafty,” though she knows it will be used to describe her art.

She prefers to consider it a form of folk art.

“It all has its roots in symbolism,” she explains. “It’s somewhat historical.”

Soon, some of her art will be hanging from Christmas trees around Lawrence.

Warren, 33, is this year’s featured artist for the Festival of Trees. The event, which starts Monday, is a fundraiser for The Shelter Inc., which provides emergency housing to children in need.

“I always think it’s the right thing to do – to give back somehow,” she says.

She’s making 25 unique ornaments that will be for sale during the event, which includes an auction on Wednesday evening of the 53 decorated trees.

Warren chose to make food-themed ornaments. Each is a different type of fruit or vegetable.

“That seems to be a common theme everyone can relate to,” she says. “It cuts across cultures and across generations. Everyone eats.”

The ornaments are three-dimensional and made of wood, which has been covered with layers of paint.

The decorations fit the typical style Warren has developed for her art, but it’s the first time she’s made ornaments. Most of her work is in the area of graphic design, and her client list has included several major newspapers, universities and photographers.

Warren graduated from Kansas University in 1996 with a degree in graphic design and illustration. She moved to Denver for several years to work at advertising agencies but returned in 2001 to Lawrence to work at the KU Endowment Association.

She left KUEA six months ago to pursue her own work full time.

Barry Fitzgerald, an associate professor of design at KU, says Warren’s work defies categorization.

“To me, it has a bit more of a collage feel to it now,” he says. “It’s not just drawing and not just painting. It’s a mixed media approach. It’s more than a drawing, and more than a painting. It’s everything it needs to be.”

Fitzgerald says he understands why Warren shies away from the “crafty” term.

“It might have a ‘craft’ element to it,” he says. “But when we say something like ‘craft,’ we tend to think of cat patterns or Christmas and holly ornaments – stuff that’s decorative or ornate. She might have that aesthetic in her work, but the content is trying to address other things.”

He says the fact Warren got an agent for her art immediately after college graduation shows she’s serious about making it a career.

“She has a good work ethic,” he says. “She’s smart. Talent is only part of the equation, in terms of making it last. It can be a really fickle industry.”

Diane Guthrie, co-chair of the Festival of Trees, says the featured artist component of the event allows viewers to purchase handcrafted ornaments for an affordable $25.

Many people, she says, purchase one of the featured works each year. She says she’s sure Warren’s works will be no exception.

“I can’t wait to see them,” Guthrie says. “Amanda is extremely talented.”