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Yupic Eskimo boy, Atmautluak, Alaska, photo.

Before long I became aware that I had a little Yupic eskimo friend who silently shadowed my every move. He never spoke, and always had a sweet smile. I became very attached to my little buddy while I photographed the village of Atmautluak, searching for reference material to use as subject matter for a painting commissioned for the school. My thoughts rambled through many ideas, what about a painting of childrens faces, or a composite of places in the village in a montage, or perhaps an activity? Without a specific direction I continued searching for the perfect subject to paint.

More tomorrow.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

Atmautluak village graveyard photo.
The wind continued to blow for three days in the village of Atmautluak, Alaska, and the chill factor was often minus 50 degrees below zero. Although I wore a parka with a fur ruff on the hood, my glasses iced over and I often shot photos not knowing if the focus was accurate. I am a trained professional artist, but a very amateur photographer. Even so, my photos have always served me well as research for paintings. This project was done before the days of digital cameras, I used 35mm film and had to wait until the film came back from the processor before I knew if the images were exposed correctly.

More tomorrow.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

Russian Orthodox church in Atmautluak.

As soon as I settled my gear into a locker at the Atmautluak school I began to photograph as much of this remote Alaska Yupik eskimo village as possible. My photographs and sketches will serve as subject matter research for the proposed commissioned painting to be installed in the school. I need to know as much about this village and Yupik eskimo life as possible so that I can create an authentic and revelant painting. I will not rely on photographs taken by other people, only my own. The above photo is of an Atmautluak village church.

More tomorrow.

Gail Niebrugge, Artist

Atmautluak airstrip in the wind photo.

It was a short flight from Bethel to the Yupic eskimo village of Atmautluak, the flat white snow covered terrain extended as far as the eye could see. Not a tree in sight. The wind howled, blowing snow sideways across the landing strip, before I knew it I found myself standing alone next to my strange shaped pile of luggage in the middle of a whiteout wondering what on earth I was doing here. The pilots reassurance of “don’t worry, someone will come for you soon” did little to quell my concerns. (more…)

Bethel airport in the fog photo.

In the early 1980’s I was selected to create a piece of art to be installed in a new school in the village of Atmautluak, located in the Lower Kuskowim Delta School District, Bethel, Alaska. This seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about Alaska, but I had some concerns about the logistics.  I lived in the the remote settlement of Copper Center, Alaska, over two hundred miles from Anchorage, and could not find Atmautluak on any map, anywhere. Nevertheless, I approached the project with a spirit of adventure and prepared for a one week visit to the Yupik village during the dark, cold month of February. (more…)

Here is the finished painting, I have titled it “Kennicott-Stabilized.” It represents all of the work that the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has done to protect this historic monument todate. I am pleased with the painting. It is made up of thousands and thousands of tiny dots, a technique called pointillism. Next, the painting will be delivered to Chris Arend Photography in Anchorage to be documented, after that I will do the final gel medium varnish that will intensify the color. I wait until the photography is complete before I paint the finish gel medium because it can cause unnecessary reflections. After the gel medium dries, I will select a suitable frame.

Thank you for watching my progress on this major work, you can see how time consuming my technique of pointillism is, and how detail oriented I am as an artist. I am proud of this painting, it has been a labor of love.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist