September was a bit of a whirlwind for me. I closed up the Wrangell Mountains Center for the winter and immediately got busy in my yurt studio painting, drawing, sorting through stacks of completed work, measuring, and ordering framing material for my show at Alaska Pacific University which opened October 2nd. The installation went well thanks to the help of APU curator Jannah Atkins. Grant Hall has a beautiful gallery with lots of natural light that is filtered through trees. The show will be up through October 31, but if you can't make it to APU here is a bit of a virtual tour.
The space is very sunny, which is enjoyable if you are there in person, but difficult for photographing, even though I pulled the shades. When you walk into Grant Hall, the Conoco Phillips Gallery is on your right. There is a display of 5 shadowboxes with sketchbooks in them on your left and a wall of windows. On the right is the main display of 35 sketches, drawings, and paintings with themes ranging from willows, bird nests, botanical drawings, rocks, collections, studies of the forest, and fall leaves.
Statement: Kristin Link’s goal as an artist is to inspire people to look more closely at the natural world. She uses her training as a naturalist and a science illustrator to create an accurate representation, but also aims to elicit an emotional response and to share her passion for the natural history of Alaska. Field sketches and illustrations focus on select details that draw the viewer in and create an intimate experience. She tries to choose subjects that are unexpected to present a fascinating, even, quirky, view of the world around us. Kristin draws from travels around Alaska, but especially from her home on the Nizina River, on the edge of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
Bird Nest 2, 14" x 11", and Robin Nest, 11" x 17" both watercolor and pen (c) Kristin Link 2015