Back Yards and Roof Tops
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
“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
