Silkscreen print, edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist, unframed

Destination: Anchorage, Alaska

Jaunt #074 (first edition)

Date: 13-19 June, 2021

approx. 27.5"h x 19.75"w, 70cm x 50cm 

"My main expectation for my trip was to do a lot of plein-air painting in the mountains.I was hoping to come face to face with bears and wolves, but I ended with only seeing a moose and her baby from up close, and one small black bear crossing the road. Which was all probably for the best. 

I had always heard of how beautiful Alaska was, but nothing compares to actually being there. The landscape is so diverse. I was walking near a stream dressed in sandals and a tank top because it was so warm, but by the end of the trail I found myself in snowy mountains next to glaciers. It was incredibly romantic to be able to pull out my sketchbook and create watercolor paintings using the stream water from the glacier mountains. I’ve already begun planning a return trip to continue my plein-air painting adventure. 

The light in Alaska made a really big impression on my during my trip. Living in California, I am so used to the light being pretty consistent based on the time of year. The sun comes up and the sun goes down at a specific time to signify the time of day, and night. I was in Alaska during the summer months and because of its extreme northeast location, the sun was out for 20 hours a day! I felt like the night never came. 

Many of my sketches ended up being incorporated into various paintings for a new solo show and imagery onto ceramic vases. For the screen print of this trip, it made sense to make a drawing of one of those vase sketches to capture the spirit of this trip."  

-Anna Valdez