Talkeetna - KTNA Art Auction

16 September 2012
9:10 PM

Sunrise at	7:18 AM	in direction	83°	East
Sunset at	8:11 PM	in direction	277°	West

Duration of day: 12 hours, 53 minutes (6 minutes, 38 seconds shorter than yesterday)

I drove up, I thought, to visit my son, Lorien, in Talkeetna.  I did do that.  I did visit with him, but a lot of that visiting was at the KTNA Art Auction .. and I got sucked in.

We arrived early since Lorien works for KTNA and mingled with other staff members.  I met the director who, when he realized I was Lorien's mom, quipped, "Everyone makes a mistake sometime!"  Most everyone else I meet through Lorien tells me what a wonderful person he is, so it was refreshing to get a humorous and contrary take on that theme.  The auction was held in The Sheldon Community Arts Hangar.  As its name states, it is a converted plane hanger.  From the outside, it is still rough, red corrugated steel.  From the inside it is a refined play house with lovely lighting and comfortable seating for a small community.

I have written about the artistic bent of "End of the Roaders" in Fairbanks.  Talkeetna residents consider themselves rural villagers at the end of their road and the number of permanent residents certainly speaks to a small village.  After looking at the many names of well-known artists and crafts men and women, I had to conclude that Talkeetna had the wherewithal to gather work from really, really good artists.  The wall was strewn with fine paintings, many of which pulled at me from the onset.  Along the tables were many mosaics, pottery, whimsical feather earrings, tote bags, historical prints, and more.  Artists included Sue Deyoe, Barstow, Halladay, deceased Curt Wagner, Rob Holt and many others whose names have slipped away.

When I participate in something like this, I am 100%, so I hovered for most of the night to ensure I actually had the highest bid on a mosaic salmon which I think is either coho silver or king chinook by the color, which is aqua marine with touches of red along the flanks.  It is wonderful.  I thought the artists name was Grete, but at check out a volunteer attributed it to Mary Gunderson, famous for her mosaics.  I am confused on that score, but it certainly is similar in style to one she contributed last year.  Then I was interested in one painting that reminded me of the photos I took this summer of the Knik Glacier when I was in Palmer.  Rob Holt, the artist, revealed a very delicate technique and I came back to it again and again.  I wondered a few times if it was a print; there was a certain flatness to it although it appeared to have some texture.  I decided I would try to bid on that painting even though, if original, it was sure to induce some serious bidding.

As I said, I became a part of the event and put my name on several silent auction items, thinking people would out bid me.  At one point, I tallied up what I'd committed to and went back and erased my name from all for which I was the last bidder, all but the salmon mosaic, to be sure I did not spend everything on silent auction if I wanted to bid on the glacier view, titled "Alone".  Near that painting I also noticed a fine painting of a redpoll that had an oriental feel to it, but thought it was most likely out of my price range and not what I would usually buy.  I am not a huge fan of wildlife art, although in that genre, paintings of birds appeal to me most.  I think an artist can only select a small portion of its surroundings - usually a branch or tall meadow grass.  I like the sparse quality that can come from the focus.

The bidding started on the painting of the red poll before "Alone".  I was not surprised that it was valued higher than many of the other pieces auctioned.  The bidding started at half its worth.  I put in a low bid and was immediately outbid.  Then it started to go for what I thought was too low.  I put in another bid thinking someone would raise it.  They didn't.  Much to my surprise, that painting by David Totten was the one for which I was the last bidder.  On his website, one gallery is of birds and he has one of two red polls that has a similar feel.  I think these are his best gallery choices and I am glad I have an original.  

As it turned out, the painting by Rob Holt was computer generated from an original.  Although the subject matter and the careful technique shown in the image appealed to me, I like to buy original art over prints.  That print sold for a few hundred higher than it was valued at the onset of bidding.  He is well appreciated in his home town.

I don't have either item I picked up at the auction yet.  I left it with Lorien because I didn't want to pack it in my suitcase and risk damaging the painting and mosaic.  The painting is fully framed.  I will post a photo here when he brings it with him in October for Teresa's birthday party.