The Artist
JUSTINE PECHUZAL Seaward, Alaska
After supper we headed out to watch Adrian butcher the seal. On a small wooden table, a sharp knife made quick work of violet crimson flesh, soon to be hung on the willow branch frame where four-dozen strips of meat had already dried and blackened in the cold Arctic air. I initially traveled north to work as a seasonal sea kayak guide,
never imagining that Alaska's great wilderness would afford artistic employment. Yet the more I explored the landscape, the more I filled the pages of my journal, eventually spilling imagery into larger formats like canvas and murals. The art I created spoke of animals, plants and places: life-size humpback whales enlivening an abandoned lot in downtown Seward. Five Finger Island, where abundant wildlife inspired watercolor, ink, oil paint, pencil and pastel; and where lighthouse chores, restoration projects and paddling exploration occupied the days of a five-week artist residency. With persistence, I found jobs helping communities voice their
experiences, culture and environment through public art. They, in turn, taught me about their lives. Before leaving Adrian's yellow-sided home, my hosts offered a sample of pickled whale blubber. Sharp sour taste, spongy texture;
hard to believe I was consuming an animal of power and grace whose species I often admired while paddling and replicated in paint. For these subsistence-based Native people near the Bering Sea, wilderness inspired, but more importantly, it provided. That week, White Mountain School students and I painted images
of rivers and mountains and moose. We displayed our work for the community, and then I began the long commute home. In a few months, it would be summer, the return of humpbacks from Hawaiian sojourns and fine weather for kayaking in my backyard fiords. In the middle of almost every mural project—students uncooperative, design a mess, and logistics overwhelming—I swear that this one is the last. Uncertainty defines my work, from the blank piece of paper, to the next job, or how many weeks I will be away. Why do it? Why do Native people eat seals when they could buy frozen hamburger patties? It has to do with feeding the heart as well as the stomach. Justine Pechuzal grew up amongst the spiny cacti of Arizona, where
she earned a Masters in Art Education. Her artwork reflects her intimate and playful relationship with wilderness.
www.justinepechuzal.com.
www.adventurekayakmag.com | 51
PHOTO: BILL HELSEL
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