2022-2023 Main Street Gallery Season

I have always been drawn to the visually interesting; the deceptive allure of surface. I love finding the dark beauty in all things, mentally inhabiting that razor-thin edge where gorgeous meets grotesque. Alaska is full of this beautiful brutality, and I wish to capture it all.

image Callie Bellon

image Callie Bellon

Elizabeth paints what she sees and loves. The beautiful and familiar surroundings of Southeast Alaska provide her with unlimited inspiration. Known for her colorful and realistic painting, the watercolor media enables each work to be created with a reflection of her feelings toward that particular subject.

Elizabeth prefers the sharper details as portrayed in paintings of Deer Mountain, Creek Street, boats, harbors, flowers and other local scenes that take the viewer on an authentic tour led by a life-long resident.

Elizabeth attended college on an art scholarship and continued her passion independently with solo shows in Juneau and Ketchikan. Her work is featured in many private collections throughout the country and abroad as well as part of the Alaska State Museum’s permanent collection in Fairbanks.

Find more of Elizabeth Rose Chamber’s work at Scanlon Gallery.

image Chloe Lloret

As an artist working primarily in watercolor, I have tried to portray scenes that reflect the rich maritime history of our Southeastern community. My favorite subjects have been old wooden work boats, lighthouses and old buildings, many of which are now decayed or gone.

I currently have work displayed at Parnassus Books and Gifts and the Cedar Chest. I also have a line of Alaska-themed cards as well as a Southeastern Christmas card line.

image Susan Copeland

image Susan Copeland

My route to becoming a fiber artist began in my teens when I saw my first pine needle basket. I fell in love with the art form and was determined to learn it for myself.  Thus began a journey that has tied my heart to my hands. I have never taken a class and am entirely self-taught.

Like nature, you will find a rhythm and pattern in my designs. I enjoy creating pieces that emulate nature. My designs are never predetermined. They evolve as I weave making each basket or sculpture a journey.

My work is available locally at Scanlon Gallery & Custom Framing

Instagram: aurorabasketsak

Public Art Display: Credit Union 1

image Sharon Filyaw

image Sharon Filyaw

Grace Freeman was born and raised in Ketchikan, Alaska and has been creating art ever since she could hold a crayon.

These days her medium of choice has moved away from crayons is often digital. She uses Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom Cintiq to create her digital paintings, and also uses digital artwork in her process for screen-printing and original drawings.

Grace is mainly self-taught and enjoys experimenting in different creative mediums to find new ways of approaching her artwork. Her biggest inspiration comes from nature. She uses the bold colors, shadows, and shapes of the natural world to fuel her creative choices, even when the subject matter may not obviously be inspired by nature.

Another element that is often woven throughout Grace’s artwork is a sense of humor. In some pieces the humor is more apparent, while in others it shows up as a surreal twist on reality or a sly challenge to social expectations of beauty and gender.

Find more of Grace’s artwork online and in person at 

gracemakesart.com

@gracemakesart (Instagram)

Soho Coho Art Gallery

image Grace Freeman

I was born and raised in Ketchikan. I am Haida Eagle Beaver from Hydaburg, Alaska. My mother is Constance Frisby and my grandmother is Bernice Edenshaw.

I learned to weave in 1995 when I took classes at the Ketchikan Totem Heritage Center. Over the next 15 years I was fortunate to work with many instructors. I studied with culture bearer and Haida master weaver Delores Churchill several styles and techniques of cedar bark basket weaving. Holly Churchill, Haida master weaver, has been an influence and mentor, offering me encouragement and support and sharing her extensive knowledge with me. I also studied Chilkat weaving with Evelyn Vanderhoop, Haida master Naaxiin (Chilkat) and Raven's Tail weaver.

I would like to recognize all my teachers and what they give to the community. They are who inspire me to weave.

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

With metal in hand I will spend hours drawing and engineering a new sculpture. The materials I use include stainless steel, steel plate, recycled metal, found objects and wood.

After my design is cultivated I hand draw the pieces onto the metal using chalk. I cut out each piece by hand using a plasma cutter. After parts are cut out they are hand finished using a hammer and chisel, grinders, files and sandpaper, a very lengthy process. Once the metal is prepared I can begin to weld the pieces together.

My solo exhibit at the Main Street Gallery "My Secret Synergy Garden" featured a new direction in kinetic art sculptures for me. I am an annual contributor to the KAAHC Annual Wearable Art Show.

Each piece of art I create is a piece of me. I put a great deal of thought into my sculptures and try to reflect how I see things; my thoughts, feelings and my love of what I do. I try to make people stop and think about what the art signifies but at the same time leaving it open for interpretation. Creating conversation is one of my main goals. I enjoy when people try to figure out the meaning of my work. Perhaps they wonder what in the world goes on in my mind.

image Chloe Lloret

image Rhonda Green

I am Haida Raven, Double Fin Killer Whale Clan. I am a lifelong resident of Ketchikan living in the same neighborhood. The youngest of four sisters, I am the only one who stayed. I worked at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center for 10 years and 13 years as a cultural interpreter for Allen Marine Tours.

My Aunt Vesta Johnson was an important influence on me, sharing her Haida language and song. She taught me how to make regalia and I have made most my family’s button robes. I studied cedar bark weaving with Haida master weaver Holly Churchill and Northwest Coast Art with Marvin Oliver. I also had wonderful experiences taking anthropology and archeology classes at University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan from Dr. Priscilla Schulte and participating in extensive field trips with her.

I am currently an instructor at the Totem Heritage Center teaching the gathering and preparation of devil’s club. Over the years of teaching about devil’s club, I have discovered that there are at least 18 uses of the plant including ointment, tea and wood for jewelry. Through the Ketchikan Indian Community, I am part of the Tribal Scholars Program that offers Indigenous students culturally enriched education from tribal teachers. I give presentations about using devil’s club, a natural resource, to create something beautiful or medicinal.

I enjoy preparing devil’s club, making the beads to create beautiful and fun jewelry.

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

I’m a member of the Tlingit and Haida nations and living on the beautiful land of the Taantakwaan people in Ketchikan, Alaska.

I love to create Tlingit regalia - button robes, vests, shawls as well as beaded moose hide collars. I also make Button Robe Collars and other contemporary fashion pieces. It makes me happy to create pieces with clan crest designs to share with others so they can display their family history in a modern, yet traditional way. Each piece I make has a Tlingit design on it hand-drawn by local artists. I appreciate these collaborations especially with my brother-in- law, Tlingit artist Norman Jackson of Ketchikan.

I’ve been blessed to learn Tlingit artwork from gifted artists and elders including my mom Gerry Brown, my mother-in-law Esther Shea, master beadwork artist Esther Littlefield, master Tlingit carver Nathan Jackson and Chilkat weaver Maria Miller.

Tlingit style beadwork and hide sewing, just as my great-grandmother, Mary Bets, on my Mom’s side did years ago in the old village in Juneau, Alaska gives me great pleasure. She made the sturdiest moccasins and dancing boots, some of which are still worn today. Her sewing techniques and beading patterns inspire me as I create pieces that I feel like she would enjoy seeing.

On my Dad’s side, great Aunt Katherine made button robes that are incomparable. Her moccasins made in the 1950s of deerskin, fur, wool felt and beadwork are also still used today.

I use wool felt or wool fabric, mother of pearl buttons, abalone buttons, and glass seed beads. I prefer to use 100% wool. It lasts for years and Tlingit people were drawn to woolen blankets as a favored trade item back when the traders came to Alaska.

My husband Richard and I love to give back to our community by teaching our youth how to make their own regalia and teaching them about Tlingit culture through our non-profit - the Tongass Tlingit Cultural Heritage Institute.

image Chloe Lloret

image Janice Jackson

Design transfer, hand cut designs, hand stitching, beadwork, fur sewing. Three Tlingit Coho Salmon designs are hand-stitched on top of a wool collar. Abalone buttons portray the ocean, which is a large part of the Coho Salmon’s journey home. Coho Salmon are special to Janice and her family. It is her Clan Crest under the Raven Moiety from her Grandmother and Mother’s side.

My art is Tlingit style, bold and round, based in tradition of the Tongass Tlingit. I was born in Ketchikan, Alaska the eighth son of Esther Shea of Tlingit Kaats Hit Bear House of Southeast Alaska and my father, Milton Jackson Sr., Kaagwaantaan Tlingit of Klukwan, Alaska.

Being able to do my art has always been a great privilege and even greater privilege to have it be part of my ancestral Tlingit Culture.  Creating art makes me feel culturally connected to my past and who I am today.

I have worked with many great Northwest Coast artists, but two were of special influence. I apprenticed with Dempsey Bob, a Tlingit carver, for five years. I also studied jewelry techniques with Phil Jan’ze who is Git’san from Hazleton, B.C.

I hand craft my carved art pieces from various wood indigenous to Southeast Alaska. I create my jewelry from silver and gold.

My art is truly who I am.

image Chloet Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

Ketchikan, to me, is the most beautiful place on earth. It has been my home for over 40 years. For years I worked primarily in watercolors, finding them an ideal medium for the misty colors and seascapes of Southeast Alaska.

In recent years I have spent countless hours hiking, sketching and painting in the woods surrounding our town. Our rain soaked forest is like no other, filled with unique trees of incredible shapes and textures. I now work in a variety of mediums in an effort to capture my wonder and awe of the incredible ecosystem of the Tongass National Forest.

Find more of my artwork at the Soho Coho Gallery, Chinook and Company, and The Cedar Basket.

image Marilyn Lee

image Marilyn Lee

Most of my drawings are of people and influences in my life and I love to share them with everyone. I first entered my art in the 2017 Alaska State Fair where I won a Blue Ribbon for a drawing of my oldest son. In 2018, I won a white Ribbon for a drawing of Chris Farley. I was also a part of the Emerging Artist 777 Pop-up where I had my art on display at AJ’s Gourmet Burgers.

I also like to stay busy with hobbies such as drawing, karaoke, partaking in First City Player’s plays and musicals, learning the bagpipes, LARPing with Amtgard and most importantly spending time with my kids and girlfriend.

I have lived in Ketchikan for most of my life. I took nearly a ten-year exodus in 2001 and came back home in 2010. During that time, I worked a variety of jobs over the years including the food service industry and serving in the Army as a medic. Upon returning home I landed a bartender job at the Potlatch Bar where I became known as the singing bartender. I have sung nearly 900 different songs at people’s requests. I am currently working as a Real Estate Agent at Legacy Real Estate Firm.

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

Human faces consistently present a unique challenge to paint because they are so complex: no two faces are exactly alike. I strive to create portraits with technical precision as well as to capture specific emotions or personalities in one two-dimensional image. Sometimes I focus on capturing a mood or trying to elicit certain emotions from the viewer. Whatever the purpose, each piece helps me grow as an artist and work towards my goal of constantly improving.

Watercolor is a very approachable medium as a beginner, but the possibilities are endless and so as a medium, it is also very challenging. I find watercolor to be very addictive as the final product can vary wildly depending on the quality and texture of the paints and paper. I enjoy trying new techniques or using new tools to help explore all of the possibilities that come from using watercolor. I also enjoy mixing other media with watercolor, like adding a touch of gold leaf, defining contours with pen, or building layers with colored pencil .

image Lori Orlwoski

image Lori Orlowski

Pamela Peterson is a lively and fun fiber artist. She knits, embroiders, sews and does bead work. A collector of antique linens, finder of old treasures and beautiful yarns, she creates wall hangings, wearable art and innovative sculptures.

Find more of Pam’s artwork in Ketchikan at Scanlon Gallery & Custom Framing and Fabulous Fiber Arts and More.

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

My name is Dawn Ritchie Rauwolf and I’ve loved mosaics ever since I can remember. Growing up in San Diego, CA, I was surrounded by vibrant and meaningful art. As a kid, I saw murals, paper mache, graffiti and mosaics in all of the neighborhoods I lived in; those images have stuck with me all these years.

I enjoy working with glass pieces, smalti, tiles, mirrors, shells, millefiori, marbles, odds & ends, and other found objects. I love the variety of textures - especially the round mirrors. My colorful mosaics are both joyful and hopeful!

Find more of my artwork at the Soho Coho Art Gallery.

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

A Master painter uses a blank canvas, brushes and a mix of colors on a palette to create his vision. The great Ansel Adams used his knowledge in the darkroom to create on film what he saw and how he felt for the places he photographed. I use a camera, lenses, and the natural light outside to create my vision. However, the camera would not be enough to capture all the colors and range of tones that are viewed by our senses. The digital darkroom gives me the ability to fine tune, optimize and adjust contrast, colors, luminosity and tonality in an attempt to represent the experience and highlight the emotions I felt. My love for photography and the great outdoors have taken me to amazing and breathtaking places in Alaska. The changing of the seasons, the weather, and the colors in nature are truly amazing.

I have been creating photographs of the great land for many years and some of my work has appeared in calendars and publications like, Country Magazine, Alaska Magazine, Photographic Magazine and the National Geographic Society. My work is also represented by Getty Images.

I believe, as in all of art, evoking an emotional response is the most special quality of a photograph. I hope you enjoy my images as much as I enjoyed creating them

image Carlos Rojas

image Carlos Rojas

I am a self-taught metal-smith. When an idea strikes, I follow to see where it leads. I gravitate towards argentinum and fine silver, occasionally utilizing rose gold and copper metals.

Wearing a piece of jewelry should feel like putting on your favorite shoes, or finding the perfect lipstick; these experiences are an extension of your mood and who you want the world to see.

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

Originally from Pennsylvania, I had been coming to Ketchikan, Alaska, as a seasonal worker from 2008 to 2019. Whenever I left, it wouldn't take long for me to miss Ketchikan and the people here. After spending much of 2020 and the pandemic in Pennsylvania, I permanently relocated to Ketchikan in April of 202l.

I draw with pen and ink and like to focus on detailed line drawing. It helps me relax. I like to be patient with a drawing and see the progress over time. With these pen and ink drawings, my goal was to incorporate the custom matting and framing to help the viewer get the big picture and tell the final story.

I am honored and grateful to have been invited to be a part of this exhibit. It is my hope that you enjoy my artwork as much I enjoyed creating it.

Find more of my artwork online and in person at Scanlon Gallery and Custom Framing.

Visit www.davidcsinger.com to see my portfolio of drawings and other works.

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

Leif is a potter, mushroom hunter and high school science teacher – not necessarily in that order! Leif and his brother Erik started BigFoot Pottery to showcase their original handmade ceramic wares.

Find Leif and Erik’s work at the Annual Blueberry Arts Festival.

image Kathleen Light

image Kathleen Light

Ketchikan has been my home since 1978. I grew up in San Diego and studied art at UCSD and UAS in Ketchikan.

Travel and adventure are an integral part of my life and my art. My husband and I have traveled extensively to many fascinating destinations including Mexico, Central & South America, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Europe, Africa, and the Galapagos Islands. My favorite destination is Africa, the most incredible place on earth.  Our trips frequently include unique wildlife and cultures that contrast so much with our home in Alaska.

My art has evolved beginning with pen & ink, colored pencil, watercolor and most recently acrylics. Each different medium brings on a new challenge and an exciting new journey. A love of animals and the rugged beauty of Alaska, its wildlife and nature are reflected in my work. I am drawn to bright and lively colors achieved with contrasting complementary colors and I frequently incorporate abstract backgrounds to enhance my subjects. I like to get close and personal with my wildlife subjects and I do a lot of research to assure accuracy in the details.

My artwork can be found at Scanlon Gallery and at the annual Blueberry Arts Festival in Ketchikan.

image Chloe Lloret

image Chloe Lloret

image Kathleen Light

image Kathleen Light

Donald Westlund, a recently retired Fisherman, started experimenting with his lathe creating unique bowls using repurposed oak pallets and driftwood from his beach.

The primary woods he works with are native to SE Alaska such as red and yellow cedar, hemlock, spruce, and alder. He gets a lot of his wood from beachcombing, fallen trees, firewood piles, anywhere he sees a piece of wood that interests him…. he has been known to flag down pickup trucks full of “wood for sale” for that one special piece he saw that would fit his purpose.

He fell In love with his newfound artistic outlet and welcomed the distraction from COVID isolation. Donald created Alaska Rain Country Creations to share his collection of hand-turned wooden bowls of various sizes and types that are available for purchase.

image Donald Westlund

image Donald Westlund