Greetings from the temperate rain forest of Sitka Sound. We live at the edge of the Pacific Ocean and on the edge of an island named Baranof. Our view to the west is a stunning volcano which is snow-capped in the winter named Mt. Edgecumbe. One cannot help but be influenced by the landscape here, the rugged mountains, the forests and the surging sea. My artwork is immersed in this imagery from the kelp baskets, pendants and pins I make from locally-gathered macrosystis and bull kelp to raku sculpture and paintings of marine mammals.

Welcome to Lake Chapala, Mexico.

Welcome to Lake Chapala, Mexico.
This where I now live. We are a community on the north side of Mexico's largest lake at 5000 ft. above sea level. The weather runs about 70 degrees year round except for the months of May and June which are hot. Our rainy season starts then which I, as a Sitkan, relish. (never thought I'd say that after living theTongass National Rain Forest for 12 years.) Everything grows here--just take a cutting, stick it into the ground and in a month, you have a new plant! The local people are friendly, the arts community is thriving; I never run out of image ideas for my own art.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Latest Pieces







Here are some of my pieces from Alaska pieces which sold at a local Artisans Market. The Devil's Club rattle is to honor the plant that helped me through chemotherapy. It has a Devil's Club wood handle and a gourd head painted with the Devil's Club plant. The other rattle is all bull kelp and has a great sound. The basket is macrosystis kelp with a scallop shell.
Posted by Jan Steinbright at 8:41 AM
Labels: , , , ,

2 comments:

Meggie said...

Hey Jan! Found you by way of Dave Dorsey at Around Anchorage. Greetings from western PA! Your artwork is lovely and I hope you will show us more. Would I be able to find Raven House Mouse at my local library? Just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the world of blogging.

December 29, 2008 at 3:55 PM
Dave Dorsey said...

Jan, I see you figured out how to do the blog links. Blogspot is pretty user friendly but can sometimes be a pain. Let me know if I can be of any help. Enjoy Mexico!

December 29, 2008 at 10:23 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Winter Nights Arts © 2008 Jan Steinbright