Alaska 2012: Part 2 - Sitka

Alaska 2012: Sitka by apple-pine
Alaska 2012: Sitka, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.
I spent 5 days in Sitka waiting for weather to clear up and let us pass to one of the fjords in South Baranof Wilderness area - main destination of my trip as artist in residence.
Alaska 2012: Sitka
I've met many people everywhere - but my main contacts were my trip companions: Frank, Darrin and Kaylyn. We were preparing for the trip, discussing maps, gear and food and how this all might fit in small kayaks.
Alaska 2012: Sitka 
And all this time beautiful mountains and water were everywhere around me.

Alaska 2012: Sitka
One of the tactics for me to survive such an avalanche of imagery was to draw with very few colors: I had two waterbrushes - one with diluted Noodler's Lexington Gray, another with diluted Noodler's Blue-Black (I tried to check the name of the color and bottle is too dirty to see - I will double-check and correct if it's not blue-black :)
Alaska 2012: Sitka
Alaska 2012: Sitka

Another tactic which helped A LOT was to make many small drawings. Alaska 2012: Sitka
And of course sometimes I had to stop and invest my time in one view and start using many "extra" colors I brought in my palette (I added second indigo (one from Schminke - warmer one, one from Miameri - colder one), two greens for mixing (I don not use them straight but they add to mixtures a lot) and two blues from Schmincke: Helio cerulean and Helio turquoise).

Alaska 2012: Sitka
My last reserve was to visit museums and nature centers and draw there as things were already chosen and framed for me :)
Alaska 2012: Sitka 
Alaska 2012: Sitka

But every day I would stop by this little rocky beach by my housing and play a game of turning one way to smell mountains and snow and then turning another way to smell ocean.
  Alaska 2012: Sitka
Until one day we were ready to go :)
 Alaska 2012: Sitka

10 comments:

  1. I'm loving reading about your Alaskan experiences...I look forward to further installments!

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  2. Wonderful! Wise tactics! This is all so yummy, Nina!

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  3. This is so exciting, Nina!

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  4. Beautiful work Nina! Love how you worked the clouds in the top image too.

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  5. This is a lovely series! I have not been to Sitka, but my visit to Ketchikan one year was very like these pieces. I live in Anchorage, and my husband and I have a boat in Whittier, so next year when we go out into Prince William Sound I plan on bringing some art materials..... I did this year, but never got them out (our other adventures included me holding on to the dog while she scared a bear away, trying to build a fire on the beach with wet wood, and beach-combing).....Thanks so much for sharing!!!!

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  6. Dear all; thank you very much - I am very glad to share this adventure with you!

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  7. This is a lovely series! I have not been to Sitka, but my visit to Ketchikan one year was very like these pieces. I live in Anchorage, and my husband and I have a boat in Whittier, so next year when we go out into Prince William Sound I plan on bringing some art materials..... I did this year, but never got them out (our other adventures included me holding on to the dog while she scared a bear away, trying to build a fire on the beach with wet wood, and beach-combing).....Thanks so much for sharing!!!!

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  8. thanks for your comment, Alison - my plane stopped in Ketchikan - I will try to find my sketch of the airport area. I know what you mean by not having opportunity to get art materials out - it's definitely a challenge with so many things being on the way!

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  9. Cascade creek is my favourite so far! Love the boat with touches of blue. Great sketches, thanks for sharing, excited to hear that this is just the beginning! :)

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