Natural History Art & Science Illustration
Portraits of Nature in the Copper River Gallery
I have a solo show up in Cordova. It’s been up since the end of August but I wanted to share some photos with you, since I know many might not make it all the way there.
It is a similar body of work to the show I had in Fairbanks last summer, but with some differences, as happens over a year. So I want to give you a tour on my blog:
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Sketching as artist in residence in the Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve
Photo by Richard Kahn
I’m excited to announce that I am on a podcast and it’s up for you to listen to. Gale Straub hosts a show called She Explores about inquisitive women in the outdoors, on the road, and besides. The podcast episode starts with Gale talking to Chevon Powell about an exciting upcoming event called the Refuge Outdoor Festival. Then we talk about my story of how I grew up spending time outdoors, how and why I moved to Alaska and got interested in science illustration. I also talk about why it’s important for me to make art in the wilderness and to participate in artist residencies on public lands.
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I’m sitting down at my computer to write in the evening. I just watered the garden, but a new rainstorm is moving up the valley from the Chugach. I hear Robins and Varied Thrushes singing outside and I found that many of the Calypso Orchids are in bloom today. Many other flowers will follow them. Summer and its’ frenetic energy seem to have arrived on the Nizina. I thought I’d sit down and give you a summary of where I’ll be and when, so you can follow along with me.
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Home sweet home surrounded by a ring of ice
The finished mural and details. Photos by McKinney Makes Media
This summer I worked on a fun and different (for me) project. The McCarthy Area Council (MAC) is a local nonprofit that serves as a kind of town government for McCarthy. Last year they expanded the mail shack building, and decided they wanted a mural painted on one of the walls with the local kids. I volunteered to organize this project.
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Signs of fall on the McCarthy Homestead!
I don't usually share my newsletter on this blog, but I wanted to this once, just to let you know that it exists. Every month or so I'll send an update to your inbox, letting you know what's going on here. My newsletter is the first to hear about new work and upcoming events. September's newsletter is below, and from that link you may subscribe or read past issues:
September Newsletter from Kristin Illustration
Thanks for your support!
Read moreLast week my solo show, Portraits of Nature, opened at the Bear Gallery in Fairbanks. I promised to share some of the work here so that people who can’t make it to Fairbanks can get a glimpse of the show. It’s always best to see work in person. Also Colleen Firmin Thomas, who has a show next to me in the same gallery, has beautiful mixed media paintings that are well worth seeing!
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My solo show at the Bear Gallery in Fairbanks opens this week. I will be adding a blog post about show soon, so that if you can't make it to Fairbanks to see the work in person, you can get an idea of what I've put together. In the meantime, if you are in Fairbanks I'd be honored for you to join me for the following events:
Desert Flowers and Plants from Joshua Tree National Park. Each page is 11 x 8.5" gouache, pen, and colored pencil (c) Kristin Link 2017.
It is the start of the busy summer season in Alaska. Lupines are blooming, swallows are sitting on eggs, and goslings are teetering about eating grass in Potter Marsh. Before it all gets too crazy I wanted to share some of the things I'll be doing this summer.
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Installation of my undergraduate thesis in Studio Art
I completed a double major in studio art and environmental studies with a focus in conservation biology in 2008, and decided to do my thesis in art. We could choose if we wanted to do a thesis or not and I was really looking forward to having my own studio and basically getting to do whatever I wanted with artwork for an entire year. That seemed like a lot of fun, and sure it was, but I think it was also one of my hardest classes ever.
Read moreLast year I wrote an end of year post summarizing many of the projects that I worked on, I want to do something similar again because I haven’t been diligent about documenting my work online. In 2016 I got to try some new things (like illustrating a coloring book and teaching in Savoonga) and I’m excited to share that with you. I also have some ideas for this year that I’m excited to talk about.
Read moreOne of my first tasks was to get back in the studio and finish off two pieces for an exhibit about gold for the Well Street Art Company in Fairbanks. The only requirement for the show, which is organized by Elizabeth Eero Irving, was that the images use shiny gold color. I used a Lascaux Artist Metallic acrylic paint with watercolor, gouache, and drawing materials.
Read moreMy show at Alaska Pacific University is up through October 31st. If you can't make it there to see it in person, here is a bit of a virtual tour.
Read moreMy solo show, Drawn from the Field, opens on Friday at the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive. I will be at the reception from 6-8 pm. I'm excited to exhibit this collection of over 30 field sketches and drawings, as well as a selection of my sketchbooks. Much of the work is from specimens close up that I found close to home in McCarthy or on the Nizina River. I've been exploring ways of capturing the landscape around me without actually drawing a traditional landscape. If you can't make it to the opening, the exhibit will be up until March 8th, so if you are in Valdez this winter, stop by the museum and let me know what you think.
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