2008 Artists-in-Residence

“Glacier Rivers 1” 79” x 32” oil on canvas

Sukey Bryan

Glacier Rivers 1

In my work, I am interested in the interaction and transformation of natural elements propelled by tidal, climatic, volcanic and tectonic forces. During my ten-ay artist residency, I photographed, sketched and painted this pristine wilderness. This painting, "Glacier Rivers I," was painted upon returning home to my studio in Stanford, California. It explores the contradictory delicacy and power of the glacier rivers that have shaped and continue to alter the mountains and valleys of Denali and are the lifeblood of the ecosystem.

— Sukey Bryan, 2008

Sukey Bryan uses her oil paintings to explore the interaction and transformation of natural elements and cycles propelled by tidal, climatic, volcanic, and tectonic forces. She has a particular interest in the taiga, and tundra ecosystems, the flow of water across the varied terrain, and the climatic cycles of the land and flora. Visit Sukey Bryan's website.

 

“Alaska Book” 6.5” x 5” frottage, collage, bookbinding, stanol crayon, paper, dyed tyvek, book board, book cloth

Melanie Mowinksi

Alaska Book

When I applied to the residency program, I planned to make tree rubbings. But when I arrived to the treeless tundra, I needed a new idea. So each day I created a tiny book to represent the day's experience.

For this piece, I transformed the images from the books into collages, and then made rubbings of them. The images are bound into an accordion flagbook, allowing the viewer to glimpse portions of each page. Just like Denali, you can never see all of it at once. Denali is a majestic and unpredictable place, revealing its lessons in its own time.

— Melanie Mowinski, 2008

Melanie Mowinski is a paper and book artist who explores patterns in time and nature through documentation and collaborations. Melanie Mowinski's website.

 

“East Fork Cabin” 21” x 21” carved and painted silver maple panel

Ron Senungetuk

East Fork Cabin

The image is a composite of shapes, lines and colors of almost any spot on the road system of the park. Straight lines on the panel tend to refer to infrastructure and natural edge lines on wide flats of the East Fork River. The wide meandering blue cut on the panel is the East Fork River. Fall time colors in early September are everywhere. Hills everywhere turn into large mountains that are located on higher elevations everywhere. Shapes on hill tops are caused by gravel slides. Most of the shapes look like golden arches. Finally, the East Fork River formation is striking and huge like all of its counter parts around the Arctic.

— Ron Senungetuk, 2008

Ron Senungetuk, a sculptor and silversmith whose work has been widely exhibited, was born in the village of Wales on the Seward Peninsula, and has spent most of his life in Alaska. He works primarily in wood and metal and is known for his abstractions of animal figures. A Fullbright scholar, his distinguished honors include the Governor’s Award from the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Visit Ron Senungetuk's website.

 

“Lichen Study” 9” x 40” carved basswood panel

Sara Tabbert

Lichen Study

I found these lichens in the high country on my hikes in the park. I liked the way their structure suggested so many kinds of motion - rolling, blowing, drifting - and I spent a lot of time arranging and "re-arranging" their shapes in my sketches and my mind.

— Sara Tabbert, 2008

Sara Tabbert is from Fairbanks, Alaska. She was raised in Fairbanks and returned to live and work in her hometown in 2000.

Her print work and carved wood panels are included in public and private collections across the state. In 2008 she had a solo show at the Anchorage Museum and in 2013 she received a project grant from the Rasmuson Foundation. This year she was one of four Alaskan artists selected for Rasmuson’s Artist in Residence program and will be spending June and July working at Zygote Press in Cleveland. In addition to a summer residency in Denali in 2008, she has been an artist in residence through the National Park Service in Zion and on Isle Royale.

In addition to studio work, she works actively in the state’s Artists in the Schools program and enjoys the opportunity to meet and work with young artists. Visit Sara Tabbert's website.