Alaskan Raven Studio

Art in Alaska. Story of an Alaskan artist.

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A Poet’s Homestead

October 15, 2017 by Raven

He built the cabin on his homestead in 1947. Lived off the land. Trapped. Survived harsh winters. He was trained as an artist and planned to paint in Alaska but his paints froze so he ‘drew’ with words instead. Prose and poetry earned him awards. Fellowships. National recognition.

My friend and I hike around his 160 acrea homestead. We have the current owners permission to explore and paint for the day. An empty writing studio sits quietly high on the side of a hill guarded by golden aspen. The creek where he gathered water is below the collection of buildings near the remains of the old Valdez trail. Hidden remnants of an ancient bridge gave up it’s timbers for his cabin. He talked about that bridge in his book. My friends sharp eyes spied it.

It was a fried ice cream kind of day, hot and cold at the same time. Sharp biting autumn wind calmed into warmness by sunshine.

We walk around the small collection of treasured buildings. A great American writer made these well worn paths. John Haines. He built these small buildings. Wrote and watched seasons pass here. His ashes were carefully placed at the top of the hill. His voice is in the aspen leaves rustling in the wind, whispering his poetry

We spend hours painting and listening and letting sunshine take away the chill of the autumn.

leaves

abandoned
bird
nest above
red door

aged timbers
release
secrets
to the wind

laughter and song
remnants
hide
in corners

well trodden
paths
lead us
in and out

Autumn breezes
whisper words
and
usher us away

with the leaves.

Filed Under: Painting Journal Tagged With: adventure, Alaska, artist, autumn, cabin, homestead, John Haines, poem, watercolor, writer

Going backwards to go forward

April 20, 2015 by alaskanraven

Climbing up the riverbank reveals the remnants of cabins. Each one whispers a different story. Carefully placed logs sink into tundra.

Where should I paint?

A winding path takes me to each home and deepens my understanding. Empty homes. Cherished memories were dust on the windowsills. A mischievous wind carried hints of laughter and joy. But inside the cabins are only cobwebs and dust. It must have been hard to leave this beautiful place when airplanes replaced riverboats in the 1940’s.

We only traveled seven miles down the Koyukuk River but our boat took us back a hundred years. Gordon Bettles chose this site in 1896 to establish his trading post during the gold rush. It was as far as the old riverboats could navigate.

One of the buildings catch my attention. My friend reminisced, “We used to come here on snow machines in the winter and danced all night”. The General Store appeared to bow in acknowledgment. The dance floor had been removed but the old weathered walls held onto memories of festive days.

Her story made my choice of subject matter easy. I firmly plant my easel in front of the General Store and spill all the contents of my bag onto the ground. Paint tubes, palette, brushes, water, clips, mosquito repellant, sunblock. I went right to work. Old bottles peek at me from the windows. I study the weathered sheet metal and signage. Fireweed dance in the breeze along with the golden birch leaves. A perfect day to soak up local color and paint wildly on a sunny September day in Old Bettles.

Spending the day here made me feel close to the people who had lived in Old Bettles. I don’t know them by name but I feel a kinship from spending time behind an easel in the shadow of their homes on the Koyukuk River. I share that connection with you.

Filed Under: Painting Journal, Uncategorized Tagged With: Alaska, Bettles, cabins, Interior Alaska, Koyukuk River, Landscape, painting, plein air, watercolor

Near & Far

December 7, 2014 by alaskanraven

Near & Far is the title of my show hanging in Well Street Art Co. It is a collection of thirty paintings that represent my work over the past year.

The opening reception, Friday evening, December 5 was a fun celebration. Many paintings were purchased. They will be going to their new homes soon. I am very grateful to my patrons for their support. I am honored that my work brings them joy.

Near and Far are words with meanings that flow and change. Places that are near to the heart may be far from reach. Seasons change making the familiar unfamiliar. Brushstrokes of color bring a far away experience back to the present and make it alive. Distant memories are brought close again with reflections of light color and texture. Relive the moment.

Here are photos of a few of the paintings in the show while it was being hung. Take a “walk” through the gallery with me.

Gallery1

Entering the gallery

Gallery2

Gallery3

Gallery4

Gallery5

Gallery6

I put together a program to share my feelings about each of the paintings. If you drop by the gallery, be sure and pick up a copy.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: abstract, acrylic, Alaska, art, artist, artwork, bear, crane, Creamers Field, d'Orsay, Dalton Highway, falcon, falconry, fall, glacier, gyrfalcon, gyrkin, Inside Passage, Juneau, Ketchikan, Landscape, Mendenhall Glacier, Moose, oil, opening reception, painter, paintings, Paris, plein air, Pont Neuf, Raven, Southeast, summer, swans, watercolor, Well Street Art Co., winter

Painting in watercolor today

April 28, 2014 by alaskanraven

Splashing and painting wildly, focused on Creamer’s Field.

I love walking in this field. The patterns of snow, dirt, blue sky, water and trees intrigue me.

WalkingInCreamers

22″ x 30″ watercolor by Raven ©, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Alaska, Creamers Field, dog, Fairbanks, Interior Alaska, snow, spring, walking, watercolor

Still thinking about Floppy

April 15, 2014 by alaskanraven

This time I painted a portrait of her in watercolor and acrylic on a full sheet of Arches 30″ x 22″.
IF

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: acrylic, Alaska, Moose, painting, watercolor, wildlife

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Raven Ramblings

Shipment arrives

“Sterling, look at that!” “Look at what, Felix?” “That huge box. From Canada.” “Looks like the artist received another shipment of Kroma paint. Watch, she’ll spend the rest of the day arranging it in her studio. All those tubes of paint go in some sort of order.” “Paint? What is that?” “Paint is color. She […]

Edges are important

“Sterling, What is the artist doing now?” “What do you mean, Felix?” “She spends lots of time brushing paint on the sides of her painting. The edges. You know what I mean?” “She makes changes on it when she changes the front of the painting. The sides appear to be important to her.” “But why?” […]

More Adventures

contact me with questions or comments

Alaskan Raven Studio
PO Box 80231
Fairbanks, Alaska 99708
USA
alaskanblackbird@yahoo.com

 

Represented by:
Well Street Art Co.
1302 Well Street
Fairbanks, Alaska
907 452-6169

Stephan Fine Arts
939 West 5th Ave.
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
USA
(907) 274-5009
http://www.stephanfinearts.com/

more about Raven

I ventured to Alaska before there was an oil pipeline and fell in love with the gnarly spruce trees, intense weather and mountains I could touch. Very different from the landscape in St. Louis. I was looking for different. The spruce trees: those scraggy, wizened, lanky conifers danced onto the first page of my sketch […]

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