“Rivervalley” original watercolor/acrylic 22″ x 30″ © Sold.
This is one of the last paintings completed before I started using pointillism, a technique that came about as a result of mandatory doctor ordered bed rest to heal from injuries to my neck and back. “Rivervalley” is another one of those paintings that saw re-painting and constant changes, it was put in and taken out of the storage drawer quite a few times. Today I’ve learned to stop work earlier during the progress of a painting and not overwork the image, but back in 1987 I was experimenting a lot with style and technique and tended to beat the painting into submission. The Denali Highway held my fascination as subject matter during this era, this is #5 in a series from this region. The view is of the Maclaren River valley and the Alaska range about 37 miles from Paxson along the 135 mile gravel Denali Highway, showing a group of Trumpeter swan flying south along the migration route. “Rivervalley” was printed as a limited edition exclusively for the Soroptimists of Cook Inlet as a fund raiser, the third print in a collaborative charity effort for women helping women.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska wilderness painter
