A Collective Animal Kingdom

Mainstay Gallery

 The Mainstay Gallery is so very pleased to introduce graphic artist Sarah Asper-Smith…

“I live on a boat in the ocean in Alaska. I'm a designer by trade and by art as
well. I love curry and goat cheese and fresh herbs, the sound of waves and the sound of wind, word play and Scrabble and puns. I love red wine and surrounding myself with people I care about. I love being alone in my cabin with my thoughts. I love books with nice covers. I love form and I love function.”

Smack of Jellyfish is the workings of Sarah Asper-Smith, who likes to make the world more beautiful and functional through her art and designs. Under this working title, Sarah composes beautiful original designs both of animal groupings, as well as many other creative endeavors. But it all started in a remote cabin in the woods…

“The brown bears sleep in the mountains, so I don’t have to worry about leaving my food outside. When the temperature is this cold, the porch makes a perfect refrigerator. My family’s cabin, at Lutak Inlet in Haines, provides a spot for quiet contemplation, or for bonfires and singing. I gather my own water at a fresh water spring, about a half mile from the cabin. There is no electricity, but we do have a propane stove and a few propane lights for the time when darkness arrives, around 4:00 in the afternoon. Coffee tastes better at the cabin, and I watch the tides slowly cover the snow on the beach. I do a lot of reading while I’m here, and finish several books in a day. One of these books uses the term a business of ferrets. I don’t know if it is because I have been alone for too long, but I think this is just about the greatest thing I have heard in a long time, and I set about to begin a new project. It will be a children’s book, and alphabet of animals and a collective noun to describe each one of them. I worry a bit about X and Q, but I travel to the beautiful library in Haines to begin my research. It takes several months to gather steam, but I complete this book in late November. It is titled Have you ever seen…., and I find a collective noun for every animal of the alphabet, including a school of x-ray fish and a covey of quail.”

Join us for a free opening reception on Friday, May 1^st, celebrating an exhibit of Sarah’s amazing creations, including giclee prints of her Collective Animal Kingdom, as well as original designs on t-shirts, cards, totes, all with her incredible eye for design, color pairings, and sense of humor. Gallery opening receptions are the first Friday of every month, from 5-7pm, and are free and open to the public. Help us welcome Sarah to Ketchikan!

Check out www.smackofjellyfish.com!