Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11:00 – 6:00; Saturday, 11:00 – 5:00; Closed Sunday, Monday;
Additional Hours on First Fridays 5:00 – 7:00 pm
907-563-2787 • 3555 Arctic Boulevard • Anchorage 99503
First Friday, April 4
5:00 – 7:00
Bill Sabo
My Hands Are Connected to My Heart
“The heart is [an] important symbol for me which has universal and spiritual qualities…I feel that when my work is at its best there is a direct channel from my heart to my hands…it is my sincere intent to further uncover the secrets of the universe through my work and to share them.” – Bill Sabo, 1988.
Retired University of Alaska Anchorage art professor Bill Sabo, 77, died on April 27, 2024, in Tulare, California.
Now that Bill Sabo’s hands have wrapped up their mission on this planet, we are left with these art relics to interpret the messages his heart broadcasted from “myths, dreams, meditations, and Spenard.” His graduate studies in Arts & Consciousness at John F. Kennedy University reflected his fascination with religion, mysticism, mythology, symbolism, and how those subjects related to the creation and understanding of art. These ideas surfaced persistently in his work throughout the rest of his life. Through the personal language of symbols he developed, which appear in drawings, watercolor paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and mixed media works, we can follow his quests to understand and describe the world he experienced. In the construction of his most distinctive technique, the stitching together of painted pieces of 300lb watercolor paper with sinew, we witness a ritual of connection. Hands to heart, man to nature, artist to the artists and stories who came before him.
Perhaps the secret turned out to be that the quest itself is the meaning. We will remember his explorations were humorous, playful, emotional, full of curiosity, occasionally solemn, frequently irreverent, and wide open to opportunities for impossible things to become real. After a lifetime as a relentless seeker, now he’s the one we will look for in every raven or coffee cup. He’s still the bear, the shaman, the fisherman, and the fish, and he’s still looking, and still listening.
At Snow City Cafe
DEBRA DUBAC
Right Around the Corner
At first, I never understood why I suddenly got the urge to move to Alaska. But as fate would have it, Dubac Designs was created and the entire “picture” became perfectly clear…
Alaska is the ideal place to live and work as an artist/designer/illustrator. For as long as I can recall, art, animals, flowers, and nature haven been my love. It is no coincidence that I acquired a deep passion for Alaska and its natural resources. Alaska continues to inspire me to produce colorful expressions of some of the most admired wildlife and nature in the world.
I take a chameleon approach to produce different styles of out-of-the-ordinary art, in order to fit each particular need, mood or client. Acrylics, watercolor, gouache, and pixels are mediums I use to create my interpretations of Alaska’s fauna, flora, and environment. My translations are seen in a wide array of displays such as children’s books, murals, interior design, limited edition prints, posters, notecards, bookmarks, book covers, CD jackets, annual reports, brochures, invites, maps, magazine stories, newspaper layouts, logo designs, and signage.
I crave the opportunity to portray that which is close to my heart…Alaska’s nature. Through my art, I must make an opportunity to portray that which is close to my heart…Alaska’s nature. Through my art, I must make an awareness of the beauty that decorates and supports our lives as humans. In turn, we as humans, will hopefully understand our crucial responsibility to cherish, honor, and protect these precious natural gifts.
At Jens’ Bistro
Nancy Perry
Food – Glorious Food
I am an artist because I adore – heart and soul – the colors and shapes in Nature. It is the gorgeous vibrant colors of a ripe tomato or the pristine white of perfectly smooth bulbs of garlic, that I can’t resist painting. I first revel in their perfection and capture their glory – before filling my belly.
I hope these paintings bring you a taste of my reverence and wonder.
Bon Appetit!
At Crush Bistro
Kay Haneline
Winter Musings
This collection of paintings presents images that evoke the joy I feel in depicting the spectacular scenery of Alaska. Painting this work affords me an opportunity to communicate the joy of depicting our beautiful environment – the changing light, dramatic colors and shifts found in shadows and reflections through the seasons. The desired result is to make a connection with the viewer.
Working with oils and cold wax medium (CWM) is satisfying and rewarding – and fun! While wax has been used in painting for hundreds of years, CWM has recently become popular with many artists. Having unique characteristics CWM can be adapted to a variety of styles. Using scrapers, brayers, palette knives and occasionally brushes, the medium encourages me to experiment with how I express my ideas. My techniques continue to evolve and change over time – kind of like life.
At South Restaurant
Cheryl Lyon
Listening to the Quiet
Artist Statement
Wild open spaces of the landscape are the driving force behind my work.
I am inspired by nature’s vast array of color complexity, as well as the simplicity of its shapes and textures. These are the primary elements that guide me when I paint. They allow me to remain open and explore under big billowing clouds, to be in awe of the intense light of a sunset and the dramatic darks of a storm. I am always searching for the essentials…for what will carry me through to my next painting. I paint to evoke a sense of contemplation, to invite the viewer to engage in a sense of meandering.
Listening to the quiet is about noticing what I notice when I venture outdoors through the Alaska seasons. gTaking in the beautiful complexities before me. Paying attention to the light as it gracefully skips across the water or shines through the clouds. Listening to the wind as it whispers through the trees, and gently moves around my face. As the poet Mary Oliver said about nature, “If you notice anything, it leads you to notice more and more”. I agree. I long ago embraced the fact that I’m always painting, even when I’m not painting. I’m an observer, an explorer and an eternal student.