2024-2025 Main Street Gallery Season

Erika Brown

Erika Brown is a lifelong Alaskan who feels lucky to grow up in a family and community that fuels and supports creativity. While attending college she took a variety of elective art classes, including metalsmithing. Since returning to Ketchikan she has continued to learn and experiment. “What happens if…” is a driving force to her creativity.

“It brings me joy to be creative in some capacity.” Hence the business name of “Jaunty By Design.” For her, that relates to the process of intentionally bringing joy into her life through creativity. This process has led her to work with a variety of mediums with a focus on metals and repurposed materials. She challenges herself to extend repurposed materials beyond their original use into a new life as jewelry. Her work features subtle shapes with compelling textures. Her current work has led to an exploration into pressing plants into metal to make unique impressions inspired by the nature and textures of our local environment.

More of Erika’s work may be found at the Star Gallery and Fabulous Fiber Arts and More, and Crazy Wolf Studio.

*Image by Erika Brown

image by Erika Brown

image by Erika Brown

Holly Churchill

Haida

Holly Churchill is an accomplished weaver in Haida basketry. Born and raised in Ketchikan, Holly grew up in an atmosphere focusing on her Haida culture. As young girl, she heard the Haida language spoken daily, gathered cedar bark and spruce roots for weaving, harvested medicinal plants and prepared traditional foods. Her grandmother, the late Selina Peratrovich renowned weaver, taught Holly to harvest and prepare weaving materials. Her mother, master weaver Delores Churchill, taught Holly to weave.

Holly’s basketry reflects this continual flow of information and her insatiable need to discover all the possibilities of the Haida basketry tradition while ensuring the art is not lost.  Holly has traveled to New Zealand to meet with the Maori community of weavers to compare basketry design, weaving techniques and language with that of the Haida nation. She has demonstrated Haida basketry at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival at the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Her work has been included in exhibitions and in collections throughout the United States, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Seattle Art Museum, the Alaska State Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, the Tongass Historical Museum, and the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center.

She continues to teach both adult and children’s classes on weaving, design, and materials gathering and preparation at the Ketchikan Totem Heritage Center, throughout Alaska and the Northwest. In 2015, Holly joined the Alaska State Council on the Arts State Teaching Artist Roster and is sharing her cultural traditions and weaving skills participating in residency programs in Alaskan schools.

In 2018, Holly was recognized with a “Woman of Achievement Award” from the Ketchikan Women In Safe Homes organization.

image Holly Churchill

image KAAHC

Brian Elliot

I was born and raised in Ketchikan, Alaska, where I currently reside and raise my own family. For an explanation as to how and why I create my artwork, I first need to give credit to someone of influence that has driven me to see the artistic qualities within the observation of bad…1988 – 6th grade. My teacher made a comment to me after how longingly I stared out the classroom’s picture window with disgust at the dark and gloomy Southeast Alaskan day… After several complaints I had made about the less than picture perfect afternoon she said, “But look at how many different shades of gray there are,” instantly turning dismay into delight!

With traditional block printing, I tend to use more of a contrast (black on white) to portray my message virtually stemming from thoughts provoked back in my elementary school days. Each time I create a print, the subtle ink variations make for individuality between each one even though I may craft multiple prints from the same block. It’s always inspiring to peel the freshly pressed paper from the recently carved media, revealing that proverbial “picture window.”

More of Brian Elliot’s work may be found at Scanlon Gallery & Custom Framing

image by Brian Elliot

image KAAHC

image Brian Elliot

Glen Fazakerley

Glen Fazakerley has lived in Ketchikan for over 30 years. He never tires of the extraordinary beauty that surrounds us here, even on the rainiest of days! Glen’s grandmother told him that he was an artist when he was 11 years old and he believed her. He has been doing art ever since. Glen has experimented with a vast array of mediums through the years. The pieces that he has entered for this show are both in acrylic.

More of Glen’s work may be found at Scanlon Gallery and Custom Framing.

image by Glen Fazakerley

image by KAAHC

image by KAAHC

Max Flowers

Max Flowers is an illustrator and comic artist currently working out of their very messy studio in Ketchikan, Alaska. When they moved to Alaska, they became fascinated with the fish and other flora and fauna that held such importance to locals. In an effort to better understand the magic of these species, Max created signature anatomical blueprints of Southeast Alaskan flora and fauna. Max also tells the stories of Southeast Alaska through sequential storytelling, comics, and more.
More of Max’s work may be found at www.artofmf.com

image by Max Flowers

image by KAAHC 

image by KAAHC

Kier Hack

Kier Hack is a graphic designer and digital artist based in Ketchikan, Alaska. His passion for landscape painting comes from his grandfather Don who was a nature & wildlife photographer. With his grandfather’s encouragement, Kier earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pacific Lutheran University in 2018 and is currently working at SignPro of Ketchikan. When he’s not working, Kier enjoys going on outings with his family and friends where he finds the inspiration for his paintings. He hopes to pass down his fascination and love for the outdoors to his son Oliver just as his grandfather did.

More of Kier’s work may be found at www.kierhack.com

image by Kier Hack

Janie Henderson

Born in Metlakatla, Alaska, Janie H. Henderson is a Tsimshian artist of the Killerwhale clan. Metlakatla is the only settlement of the Indigenous Tsimshian people in the United States and is the only Indian reservation in Alaska. The late Tsimshian master carver Jack C. Hudson was her teacher and mentor. 
Metlakatla’s history and Tsimshian culture are very important to Janie and feature prominently in her work. Her grandmother was three years old when her family joined other Tsimshian people to travel the Pacific Ocean in a dugout canoe from Old Metlakatla, British Columbia, Canada to “New” Metlakatla, Annette Island, Alaska with William Duncan, an Anglican missionary. The group settled on the island in a calm bay with a nearby waterfall, accessible beaches and abundant fish. For a time, her ancestors were forbidden to speak their Native language, practice their carving, weaving, dance, music and oral traditions. Today, the people of Metlakatla come together to celebrate the revival of their art, language (Sm’algyax), and the traditional ways of generations past. 
Janie feels it is an honor to be part of such a resilient Tsimshian people and beautiful culture. Each of her original Northwest Coast designs is distinctive, impeccably drafted and tells a story representative of her life and her heritage. Usually Janie keeps her original paintings in her personal collection, however, the two works in this exhibit are an exception and available for purchase. Janie feels each one of her brush strokes is made with care and is a preservation of her people’s history. “Learn, embrace, share “ is the Tsimshian ideal she lives through her art.
More of Janie’s work may be found at Arctic Spirit Gallery and on her website: cedarpointstudio.org

image by KAAHC

image by KAAHC

Love of nature inspires most of my art. I find pleasure in using natural shapes and color to create harmony and balance in a painting. The richness of color derived from layering watercolors makes a painting form slowly over time and leaves the possibility for changes to happen that may be unexpected. I also work with pen and ink, beading glass bottles using peyote stitch and weaving tapestry.

image by KAAHC

image by KAAHC

Emalee Oshima

In this series of water-themed illustrations Emalee Oshima explores the beauty of nature as a magical stage for storytelling - a space where fantasy, culture, and whimsical characters come to life. Each piece invites the viewer into an enchanting aquatic world where peace, harmony, joy, and playfulness ripple through every scene.

The characters that inhabit these luminous realms live in gentle harmony with the natural world, embodying curiosity, warmth, and serenity. Through their presence Emalee hopes to share a sense of emotional connections and quiet joy.

Using color, imagination, and characterization, Emalee strives to create illustrations that offer comfort, spark curiosity, and invites viewers to rediscover the enchantment that surrounds us - and lives within us.

More of Emalee’s work may be found at emaleedrawsart.etsy.com

image by Emalee Oshima

image by Emalee Oshima

Marva Otos

Marva Otos has been creating fabric work of art for decades. She loves to add applique and nontraditional stitches to increase the interest and layers of her pieces. Marva has created 100s of fabric art pieces and shows them in the Ketchikan Rainy Day Quilt Guild's annual exhibition, and submits them to Quilt shows throughout the country.

image KAAHC

Leafy was created by Marva Otos using several sewing techniques.

The pieced background and half square triangles were sewn by machine. The stems, plus 74 leaves, were hand appliquéd, also known as needle turn appliqué, to the background fabric.Wool hand appliqué was sewn to the background fabric

Embellishment of different hand embroidery stitches, and over 100 Swarovski crystals were affixed to the work for a bit of sparkle.

Hand quilting the stitches close together on the background fabric gave the leaves and wool a dimensional appearance.

images KAAHC

Straight Lines was created by Marva Otos using a variety of techniques including hand sewing, hand appliqué, and hand quilting.

The Sticks were created using reverse applique’ method, also known as cutaway appliqué. Shapes are cut away to expose the layer underneath. The raw edges are then turned under and slipstitched into place.

The Beach used the same method of reverse applique.

The Mountains were created using hand appliqué, also known as needle turn appliqué, sewing a small panel onto a larger background piece of fabric.

The Blustery air used monochromatic colors of paint chips sewn to the end of the wall hanging to create a breezy movement of air. 

Dave Rubin

Dave Rubin was born in New York and spent his early years going to all the museums. He says, “Everyone starts off coloring - I just never stopped”. Dave moved to Ketchikan in 1983 and has been one of the most beloved local artists ever since. He teaches art classes at the University of Alaska Southeast here in Ketchikan, as well as hosting several art workshops. His artwork can be seen all around town, including the statues on the Ketchikan dock depicting the early and prominent residents of Southeast Alaska.

More of Dave’s work may be found at Scanlon Gallery and Custom Framing, as well as “The Rock” bronze sculpture on Berth 2.

image by Dave Rubin

image by KAAHC

image by KAAHC 

Steve Thomas

Steve Thomas and his family have lived in Ketchikan for 18 years now. They originally moved here from Idaho as teachers. Steve taught at Ketchikan High School as a CTE teacher, teaching woods, construction, drafting and computer technology. Steve taught for 8 years before an accident on the lathe in the wood shop forced him into early retirement. He spent many years in recovery and working side by side John Warnock to relearn and gain confidence in turning wood again as this has always been his passion. Steve now shares his talent with his children, grandchildren and the community he has grown to love. In addition to turning bowls, Steve also enjoys making jewelry and pens out of a variety of materials, including mammoth tooth and tusk.

More of Steve’s work may be found at Scanlon Gallery & Custom Framing

image by Steve Thomas

image by KAAHC

image by KAAHC

Ray Troll

In his studio on a hill above the Tongass Narrows in rainy Ketchikan, Alaska, Ray Troll creates fishy images that swim into museums, books and magazines, and onto t-shirts worn around the world. He draws his inspiration from extensive field work and the latest scientific discoveries, bringing a street-smart sensibility to the worlds of ichthyology and paleontology.

Ray earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas in 1977 and an MFA in Studio Arts from Washington State University in 1981. In 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of Alaska Southeast. Ray has also received a Rasmuson Foundation Distinguished Artist Award and the Alaska Governor’s Award for Individual Artist. Ray and Kirk Johnson were jointly awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.

More of Ray’s work can be found at The Star Gallery.

image by Ray Troll

image by Ray Troll

image by Ray Troll

MJ Turek

Educator and artist MJ Turek was born in Ketchikan. She a teacher of English, French, Spanish, Art and Yoga. Her artwork features plein air watercolors and acrylics and handmade paper.

image by MJ Turek

image by KAAHC

image by KAAHC

Kana Yamasaki

Kana Yamasaki grew up in Wakayama, a city in southern Japan surrounded by mountains and sea. She has loved drawing and painting since she was young. After moving to Ketchikan in 2007, she began painting watercolors. Her paintings are inspired by the beauty of Alaskan landscape and wildlife. When she is not painting at the kitchen table, she loves walking on trails with her family, beachcombing, and berry picking.

More of Kana’s work may be found at Fish Creek Company and Alaska Northern Lights.

image by Kana Yamasaki

image by Kana Yamasaki

image by Kana Yamasaki