Gail Niebrugge's Blog
“Kennicott;stabilized” original acrylic on Sintra painting by Gail Niebrugge, original sold, limited edition prints available. It is with great pleasure that I lived to paint the stabilized version of the historic Kennicott Copper Mill and offer it in a limited edition print for my collectors world-wide. After three decades of watching, waiting, documenting the decline [...]
“Kennicott;Pre-Restoration” original acrylic on Sintra painting by Gail Niebrugge. Part of the permanent collection of Fountainhead Hotels, Sophie Station, Fairbanks, Alaska. This very large acrylic painting of the Kennicott Copper Mill is shown from the vantage point of the road bed just before the bridge over National Creek. This bridge washed out during the flash [...]
“Frozen Copper” original acrylic/watercolor painting by Gail Niebrugge. Original painting sold, limited edition prints available. Through the years I have explored every nook and cranny of the historic Kennicott Copper Mill in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. I was privileged to serve as the first Artist-in-Residence for the park, a position that I held for [...]
“Vintage Valley” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge commissioned by the Teeland Middle School, Wasilla, Alaska. Giclee limited edition prints available. One of the best parts of the historic Mc Carthy/Kennicott area is the abundance of artifacts, tools, wagons, parts, and containers scattered here and there. A short search of the surrounding bushes yields a [...]
“Coppertown” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge, sold. This painting is published on the cover of “Mountain Wilderness” an illustrated history of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska by William R. Hunt published by Alaska Natural History Association. The research for this painting was done from the top floor of the store and warehouse during [...]
“The Office” original ink/watercolor drawing by Gail Niebrugge, sold. Back to the series on my early days living and painting the Wrangell-St. Elias. One of my favorite buildings at historic Kennicott Copper Mine in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the small log building that served as the managers office. It is a simple little [...]
Here is the recently completed series of four old vehicles sketched with pen and ink from my research in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. A very enjoyable project and walk down memory lane. Top left “Truck near Strelna” ink drawing 10″ x 14″, top right “Coupe at Chitina” ink drawing 10″ x 14″, lower [...]
“Truck near Strelna” ink drawing 10″ x 14″ ©Gail Niebrugge This ends my series at the moment, of old vehicles found in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. Over the last 30 years I’ve painted and sketched a great many of these ancient autos, and enjoyed not only the research in the field, but completing [...]
Pencil sketch and beginning ink drawing of an abandoned truck along the McCarthy Road in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, near Strelna, Alaska. I found this oldie tucked away in the willows just off the road during spring break-up, it would be quite hidden once the leaves returned in the summer. I’m beginning this drawing [...]
“Window Views” original painting in pointillism by Gail Niebrugge, original sold, limited edition prints sold out, a few Artist Proofs are available. This painting shows a good overview of the condition of the Kennicott mine buildings before any stabilization efforts began. The bridge was still passable, albeit somewhat spooky, the small building without a roof [...]
“Coupe at Chitina” ink drawing 10″x 14″ ©Gail Niebrugge During one of my explorations for forgotton vehicles along the backroads of the Wrangell-St. Elias region of Alaska I found this relic stashed in the willows near Town Lake, Chitina, Alaska. During the dense vegetation of summer this old car is virtually invisible, but during spring [...]
Here are the two pen and ink drawings I’ve completed so far, these old trucks are hidden away in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. The larger drawing is the truck at May Creek, a roadless wilderness outpost for the national park. During the late 1930′s during the mining era in this region a railroad [...]
“Kennicott Melt Pool” original painting in pointillism by Gail Niebrugge, original painting sold, limited edition prints sold out a few Artist Proofs are available. One day while poking around the rubble of the historic copper mine looking for a fresh subject to paint or a new view of the Kennicott, I decided to hike out [...]
“Broken Porch” original acrylic and watercolor painting by Gail Niebrugge, to purchase original painting call for price and availability. Yesterday I wrote my Blog about the machine shop porch at the historic Kennicott Copper Mine, and how I enjoy exploring and finding great objects to paint. Obviously at some point it became too dangerous to [...]
“Nugget Creek Truck” pen and ink drawing 10″x 14″ ©Gail Niebrugge Here is the finished ink drawing of the truck at Nugget Creek, Alaska, in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Love the bullet holes in the window glass, the rope on the front bumper tied to the rock, and the rear wheel axle propped up [...]
“Windows, Kennecott” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge, sold. The first time I walked between the mill building and the leaching plant at the historic Kennicott Copper Mill in the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains of Alaska, and looked up at the sixteen story monolith, I was amazed at all the windows. Windows of every size and [...]
Here is the partially inked drawing of the truck we found along the Nugget Creek trail in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. I’m using many layers of tiny parallel lines in the cross hatch technique to achieve values. This drawing is smaller than the last one, so I’m using my #1 nib on the [...]
“Iron Wheels” original acrylic/watercolor painting by Gail Niebrugge, original painting sold, limited edition prints sold out, a few Artist Proofs are available. I know nothing about how the equipment operated at the historic Kennicott Copper Mill, or the function of these huge wheels, all I know is that one day the light hit this spot [...]
Here is another old truck from my reference material on ancient vehicles in the Copper River Basin, Alaska. We found this beauty during a week exploring the Nugget Creek Trail on our ATV’s. It was an amazing trip, we had the keys to an astounding cabin that was perched on a narrow ridge with sheer [...]
“May Creek Truck” 16″x20″ ink drawing ©Gail Niebrugge After a few days of inking parallel lines, cross hatch and a few dots of stipple I proclaim the drawing “May Creek Truck” is finished! This was great fun. I love the bullet holes in the windshields and noticed the absence of any headlights. The #1 nib [...]
Gail Niebrugge (Knee-brew-ghe) born and raised in California has pursued art since childhood, winning a poster contest on the Johnny Jet television show at the age of twelve. Gail began her career as an illustrator for the US Navy and Marines in San Diego, and later established the Instructional Media Center for the Grossmont High School District in La Mesa, California. The Niebrugge family fell in love with Alaska while on vacation in 1976 and never returned home, instead they established a residence and studio in the remote interior settlement of Copper Center where the artist painted … [Read More...]
Wikipedia defines pointillism as; "a style of painting in which small distinct points of primary colors create the impression of a wide selection of secondary and intermediate colors." It goes on to say that the mind and the eye mix the color spots into a full range of tones and that it is closely related to Divisionism. Divisionism was practiced by Georges Seurat during the Neo-Impressionism period. He broke his color into basic elements and painted very small and regular dots. His dots are carefully placed as to not touch each other, so the white under painted canvas shows around all of the dots. I call my painting technique pointillism, but technically it is incorrect according to Wikipedia. The difference between my technique and true pointillism is that I use … [Read More...]