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Gail in the Niebrugge Studio Booth at the Alaska State Fair in Raven Hall standing below an original watercolor painting “Wildflowers”.

This morning I opened the local paper, Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, and read the front page article about artists and art at the Alaska State Fair to find that every booth was mentioned but mine! How disappointing! This is devastating for my booth, with the big weekend approaching, readers will not expect to find me at the fair. It is unfortunate that the writer did not do his/her homework. We really are at the fair this year, in the Raven Hall, stop and say hello!

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

“Taking a Look” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge. Sold.

After flying as a passenger in the bush U.S. Mail plane, I became so enamored with flying in rural Alaska that I decided to become a pilot and fly my own plane to all the fantastic places I saw in the wilderness of the Wrangell-St. Elias. Click on the painting title link to read my journal about the Mail plane flight that changed my life. This particular scene was painted to show how tiny the single engine aircraft appears against the backdrop of the rugged St. Elias mountains.

During this flight we carefully manuvered our way up a canyon to take a look at the mountain pass, to see if the clouds had cleared enough to continue safely through to deliver mail in Cordova. Most single engine flights in this region thirty years ago were done “VFR” (visual flight reference), equipment and information for instrument flight was not available in these remote locations. All of my flying was VFR and weather conditions could make it quite exciting.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaskan Artist

“Paper Birch” original painting watercolor/acrylic with pointillism by Gail Niebrugge.

This is the view from the window of my art studio during fall when we lived in Copper Center. Each day my walk down the dirt road to the Copper River is greatly enhanced by the incredible intensity of color of the changing leaves of the season.

Growing up in Southern California did not prepare me for the unbelievable beauty of changing seasons. In that semi-arid climate, spring is green and then everything turns brown. By mid-summer the grass is dormant, fields are yellow-brown, tan colored sage brush and tumbleweeds dominate the backcountry, only the trees stay green.

Even today, after three decades in Alaska, I still stand in awe of fall.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaskas Artist

The yard is maturing, the baby trees are growing, the roses blooming, and summer is nearly over. I will remember this day in January when it is dark and cold in Alaska.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Art

Bob spreading white cod fish bone meal fertilizer made by a local farmer Alaska Sea Ag. Just a little boost for the lawn before the winter frosts begin.

Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

Sunshine, warm temperatures, finger potatoes and flowers highlighted Saturday for me at the Alaska State Fair.  I took a few minutes away from our booth at the Raven Hall to enjoy the gorgeous flower gardens.  The head gardener, Becky, is a genius at cultivating annuals and perennials that bloom in late August and the gardens are spectacular this year.  Be sure to check out the vegetables by the main office at the Red Gate.

Yesterday traffic was a challenge, one customer reported that it took two hours from Wasilla to the fairgrounds in the afternoon.  Another report had traffic backed up solid from Three Bears Market on the Palmer/Wasilla Highway all the way through downtown Palmer and the side street Chugach.  Here is a tip; traffic was minimal in the morning, so come early.  Today is another gorgeous sunny day and the crowds will be heavy.  If you are coming from Wasilla later in the day, consider the longer route via Trunk Rd. to Palmer Fishook, to the Glenn Hwy and take the back roads through downtown Palmer.  Avoid the Glenn Hwy. and the Palmer/Wasilla Hwy.  Good luck.  I’ve got to get going, our booth opens at 10:00AM.  See you there!

Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

Yesterday the Anchorage Daily News announced Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s appointments to the Alaska State Council on the Arts. I accepted the position as Vice Chair during my first year to serve on the board. Several of us met informally at lunch to discuss the upcoming Governor’s Awards that will be given in Fairbanks on October 27. I was handed a large three ring binder of applications to review, it seems that I have my homework cut out for me. Do I have time to serve on the council and to continue to paint as well? We shall see. Right now, speaking of time, its time to get back to the booth at the Fair.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

We are open for business at the 2007 Alaska State Fair in Palmer, our booth is located at the west end of the Raven Hall. We look forward to seeing our old friends and collectors, and visiting with new customers. I will be in the booth each day from 4:00pm to 7:00pm to sign prints and books, explain the technique of pointillism, and tell the story behind each image. The Fair runs from August 23 through September 3, see you there!

Alaska Artist Gail Niebrugge

A sunny afternoon on the lake, Bob peddles with his grandchildren. The last few warm days of summer.

Gail Niebrugge, Art for Alaska

Four kinds of potatoes are growing in our raised bed vegetable garden, Red, Fingerling, Yukon Gold and German Butterball. We are anxious to dig them out of the ground, but it is best to wait until after the first frosts. I’ll let you know in September how well they grew.

Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

I really haven’t had much experience with Hostas, initially I thought they died over the winter because nothing showed in the ground until mid June. But, slowly they have grown, ever so slowly, and now blooms are beginning to appear. The plant in the photo is the Plantain Lily “Minuteman”. The jury is still out on wheather or not Hostas are going to survive in my perinneal garden. We shall see what they do next year.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Art

I just discovered that the Fireweed blossoms have reached the top! The legend says that when Fireweed tops out it is six weeks until snowfall. Yikes, that would make it around the first week of October. I’m not ready for winter, we haven’t had fall yet. The seasons pass so fast in Alaska, we just start to enjoy one and another is on the way.  They change so quickly it is hard to grow weary of the tasks associated with each season, except winter.
Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

New Giclee “Rainbow of Promise” framed and ready for our booth at the Alaska State Fair this week. Bob has been busy in the frame shop and we have lots of art to hang on the walls. The Niebrugge Studio booth is in the Raven Hall, west end, we look forward to visiting with collectors and sharing news.

Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

The new raised beds in the vegetable garden are working quite well, weeding is made easy by simply sitting on the ledge, no back breaking bending over or knee pads needed. The carrots should be ready to harvest in a few weeks. So far our vegetables, picked fresh from the garden, are tender and sweet. Nothing beats fresh veggies, I’m going to miss them this winter.

Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska

This is my favorite rose in the garden. I planted two last year and only one returned. I’m hoping it will be hearty enough to stay in the rose garden for many years. I have quite a few Hansa Rugosa that are extremely hearty, but the Fireglow is much prettier. It has been blooming since late June and is full of buds now, more than ever! The secret to keeping roses blooming is to clip off the spent blooms before they go to seed. Oops! I see a weed in the photo, gotta get out there and get them pulled. Catch you later.
Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

I peeked under the big leaves of the Brussels Sprout plant and found the vegetable growing quite nicely. We won’t harvest these until after the first frost, sometime after Labor Day. So far most of the vegetables in my first year garden have done well, the bush beans are a flop but everything else did fine. I won’t know about the potatoes until mid-September when we dig them out. That is always fun, sort of like searching for Easter eggs.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Art

It is time to share some of my garden favorites since I spend time in the yard almost every day.  Puttering around in the garden seems to recharge my energy, soothes my soul, and connects me to nature. There is something satisfying about digging dirt with your hands, deadheading flowers, pulling weeds, adjusting the wood chips to cover bare spots, and watching small buds bloom into beautiful flowers or tasty vegetables. Last year I planted five Himalayan Blue Poppy perennials, sadly this year only three came back and just two of the plants bloomed. They are gorgeous.  Some say these plants are easy to grow but they seem sort of temperamental to me.  I hope all three return to bloom next year.

Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska

“Bountiful Earth” original acrylic painting in pointillism by Gail Niebrugge. Sold.

From Copper Center, Mt. Drum is the most prominent peak in the Wrangell Mountains. During summer it is often obscured by clouds of its own making, clearing finally just before sunset to reveal its glacier crested peak. My favorite place to watch, and wait for the mountain to appear is from a flat clearing on the bluff overlooking the Klutina River. I often rode my ATV to that spot, built a campfire, and waited patiently for the peak to show with alpenglow. Today a large hotel occupies my favorite place, and the guests of the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge can experience this magical moment.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaskas Artist

“Drum’s Aurora” original painting in pointillism by Gail Niebrugge. Original painting sold, artist proof prints available.

An unexpected benefit from living in Alaskas’ remote interior is the ability to see the Northern Lights regularly. Away from the noise and glow of cities the Aurora Borealis is clear, sharp, multicolored, and makes sounds! I studied the constantly changing configurations of the dancing illumines and saw the drapery formation (pictured above), the common mile-high green aruora, the rapidly moving rayed formation, and the amazingly rare red aurora. From my research I completed a painting of each. Many nights I stand shivering in the cold watching nature put on a light show in the sky until I can barely move my numb limbs. An experience to never forget.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

“50 Below Copper Center” original painting acrylic on canvas by Gail Niebrugge. Sold.

Unless you grew up in Southern California like I did, you would not understand my fascination with changes in the landscape during the extreme winter temperatures along the Copper River, Alaska. Aside from the incredible cold, I am amazed by the silence. The river is silent, frozen solid very deep, and the sounds of wind moving through the leaves and grass are no longer heard, the world seems to stop for awhile. Hoar frost forms thick shapes along branches, roof tops, fences, and trees, and the low golden glow of the fleeting sun creates millions of diamond sparkles on the snow and in the frosty air. It is magic. Occasionally the silence is broken by the swishing sound of wings in the air as a solitary bird moves across the sky.

I try to paint this cold. I wonder, how do you paint cold? In this painting I use a lot of cool colors. All the colors on the colorwheel have a cool version, often found by mixing a color with its compliment. Cool yellow doesn’t seem possible, but it is.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist