It’s been a busy summer and fall and I’m just finding time to catch up on blog entries from last spring. I wanted to enter a few comments and photos on a mural project I did with the kids of the village of Shaktoolik. Shaktoolik is an Inupiaq village on the Bering Sea and has been the center of Inupiaq culture for millennia. The village is also the rest station for the dog and mushers of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race.

A group of high school students and I designed a mural for the Armory Building, which is where the dogs and mushers stop and rest. The mushers bed their dogs on the west side of the building, away from the wind and enter for coffee, warm food and a nap.

The mural is made of primed plywood. The design is made-up of layered stencil images to evoke the texture of the tundra and the silhouettes of sled dogs to welcome the tired mushers and dogs to Shaktoolik.

I asked for volunteers, adults and kids for portrait photography as reference for future portrait paintings. I requested no smiles and for the kids, it was almost impossible! We all ended up in stitches as each subject struggled to keep a straight face!

I adopted a year old pup from the village and named him, Toolik and he has become a much loved member of my family in Anchorage. Many thanks to the lovely, generous people of Shaktoolik!

Follow the brush- L