“Back Yards of McCarthy” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge sold.
This painting is about 30 years old and serves as testimony for how fast vegetation grows in Alaska. I found this scene while scouting back roads and alleys of McCarthy during May, nothing is green yet and patches of snow still remain on the north sides of the buildings. I liked the combination of old wood, tin roofs, gray skies, and snow piles on damp, dark earth. It represents true life in McCarthy, complete with outhouse. Recently I revisited this site to document changes, and try as I might I could not see anything through the dense undergrowth and woods. Today the buildings are completely surrounded with vegetation from this vantage point. This painting is about a moment in time and a vanishing way of life.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska
