June 27, 2022
Ed Boudreau
We are proud to feature 2 artist this month in our ongoing Heart of Art Blog series. Here we start with Alaskan Photgrapher Ed Boudreau. Not only can you see his work in our store or online year-round, but you can also meet him in person during our First Friday Art walk this July 1st, 2022 from 6p-8p.
Hailing from Eagle River, Alaska, Ed is a landscape and nature photographer who spent 28 years in the Air Force here in Alaska. During that time he always had his eye focused on her beauty. After retiring in 2010, his wife bought him his first DSLR and pushed him out into the great outdoors. He has been having a blast running amuck throughout Alaska since, trying to stay one step ahead of the bears. Below we interviewed Ed about his experieicne and work. We hope you enjoy and are inspired by Ed as much as we are.
Can you tell us about your "process" / if there's a certain way you go about deciding your subjects/compositions - or favorite things to capture?
-Deciding my subject matter and composition happens to come easy to me as Alaska offers such a wide variety of material to choose from. I can think of no other place in the world that has a larger canvas of opportunities and beauty that Alaska offers. Deciding which way on the compass I feel like going is the hardest part.
My Favorite subjects to capture is probably Sunrise/sunsets followed by capturing the Auroras (most challenging)
What is your favorite art form?
-Photography, more specifically, Nature Photography
When did you first start creating?
-Soon after I retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2010
What inspires you to create your work?
- The light! No matter where I go I am always looking to see how the light of the scene makes the image. That and being outdoors even if it's bad to shoot.
What’s your favorite thing to see/do in Alaska?
- Favorite thing to see is when a sliver of light decides to break through the clouds and transcends over a mountain range and I happen to be there to capture that one moment in time
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
- Practice, Practice, Practice. The more familiar you are with your equipment will pay huge dividends later when getting “The Shot”. It will come second nature so you won’t be spending precious seconds fiddling with the camera sitting and rushing yourself or missing the shot
Anything else you'd like the world to know?
- We’re only on this marble for an instant and that instant is wasted if you do not stop and “really” appreciate the beauty that surrounds you… As Henry David Thoreau said “"It is not what you look at that matters, it's what you see".
Thanks Ed!
Again, Ed's work is available in Store or online at our website. If yo uare in Seward Friday July 1st, 2022. please come out a meet Ed in person from 6p-8p. He is a thughtful and kind man always ready with a story.
The FTT Family
May 29, 2022
Meet Alaskan laser artist Gale Glenn who has resided in the Mat-Su Valley since 1979 with her husband Dave. Like many Alaskans, Gale and Dave wore several other hats on their way to their current passion project that included long careers in accounting and working on the North Slope. After they were married in '94, they even ran a successful Air Taxi service in the Valley from 1994-2019.
Six years ago, they bought their first laser cutter and have never looked back. They started out by creating a wide variety of unique etched products whether it involved custom trophies, colorful wooden plaques, or even sleek aviation instrument panels. Driven to continuously challenge herself and her mastery of the laser medium, she "just kept cruising for stuff, just looking for stuff that’s different… Something that somebody else isn’t doing." Which has led her to where we find her today. With her persistence and love of Alaska and of all things laser, she has developed the series of beautiful Alaskan inspired pieces featured in our Gallery that are so fresh and unique. We are so proud to be able to share them with you.
*Can you tell us about your process?
Working with a laser is pretty straightforward - cut, paint, glue! But there are always new processes for improving quality, efficiency and design.
What is your favorite Medium?
Photography, watercolor.
When did you first start creating?
My mother was a seamstress, so I picked up some sewing skills when I was young - made clothes for my Barbie! As I got older, I did quite a bit of embroidery, continued with sewing clothes and crafts.
What inspires you to create?
A lot of my inspiration comes from talking with folks about ideas that they have. Makes me think about how I would go about creating that idea.
What’s your favorite thing to see/do in Alaska
We have a cabin that we like to spend time at during the summer. We esdepcially love the trout fishing at the lake. But my absolute favorite thing about this state is it's beauty. I remind myself every day to take time to look around. Whether it's a cool piece of driftwood on the beach or at Pioneer Peak - there is always something beautiful to see.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
I was hesitant to try something new - puzzled over what colors to use. You know what? - It doesn't matter, just do it. You'll learn a lot from trial and error!
Thank you to Gale Glenn for interviewing with us and taking us through her artistic journey. We are grateful to carry such incredible works from her and so many other artists here at Forests,Tides & Treasures. It is our continued goal at FTT to bridge the gap between artist and guests so that we may all embrace the humanity that we all share more easily. After all, we are better together.
March 07, 2022
I read somewhere that the healthiness of a civilization can be measured by the art it produces. Meaning that if a society or group of people are producing art that means their survival needs are being met and they have time for self-expression and personal growth. This is in contrast to civilizations that are working with the tools to survive and have no time for play, crafts or expression. Art is a reflection of the experiences happening and will help define this time period for that part of the world. I like the idea that art mirrors society and helps keep a long-lasting record of history from many different perspectives.
We are grateful to carry such incredible work from artists here at Forests, Tides & Treasures, and consider many of them family. Thank you to Dawn Gerety for interviewing with us and bringing us through her artistic journey. It is our goal at FTT to bridge the gap between artist and consumer and embrace the humanity that we all share. After all, we are better together.
To view (or bring home) Dawn's work currently featured here at Forests, Tides & Treasures, click here.February 08, 2022
Cindy is a versatile visual artist who works professionally as a corporate marketing and communications manager and for more than 25 years the principal of Cindy Shake Design. She has taught sculptural welding at the University of Alaska Anchorage and her welded steel sculptures include public art installations in Anchorage, Alaska. As a published author and illustrator, her popular children's book The Alaska Animal Alphabet is in its 7th printing. Fabrics designed by Cindy are available at fabric stores and through her online shop at Spoonflower. The inspired idea to create a cool, water-resistant growler bag after a wet & snowy walk home from a Girdwood spirits shop, grew to become the pop-up and online shop Crow Creek Coolture.
Crow Creek Cool was formed with her daughter and son as a fun brand of Cindy Shake Design offering one-of-a-kind and hand-crafted provisions that are designed as they say for "Originality & Cooltility." Crow Creek Cool creates, produces, and wholesales, garden flags, bags, stickers, niche art quilt patterns, textiles, downloadable patterns & templates, and fabrics. (Additional designs by Cindy Shake are made available at the Crow Creek Coolture Society6 POD shop.)
Assemblage, a three-dimensional visual art form, most often using everyday found objects. Because I have limited workspace in our cabin, I don’t work in this medium as much as I would like to. The medium requires collecting and keeping a LOT of (cool) “stuff.” My assemblage “Shrine-a-rellas” are created from found objects and are given new life in the form of altars and shrines. The materials I am attracted to and use most often tend to be vintage ephemera, mechanical utilitarian components, and thrift store multiples of cheaply mass-produced consumer flotsam.
In 2nd grade, after my teacher Mrs. Wilson posted on the class bulletin board a watercolor I painted on yellow construction paper of a friend I admired, who had long, brown braids.
Don’t be afraid to keep your day job, art supplies are expensive. The internet has transformed the art world. Social mobility, technology, and the number of new mediums now creating art is amazing. Artists used to be dependent on gallery sales but through online platforms artists can connect directly to potential buyers on a global scale. Digital spaces are redefining those sales and definitions of art. Consider experimenting with POD (print on demand) sites such as Spoonflower and Society6 to affordably explore short runs, limited editions and various mediums of your artwork and designs, it can be inspiring.
We are grateful to carry such incredible work from artists with big hearts and burning passions here at Forests, Tides & Treasures, and consider many of them family. Thank you to Cindy Shake for sharing with us more about her creative processes, and reinforcing what we know: Alaska is where we want to be. It is our goal at FTT to bridge the gap between our vendors and consumers and embrace the humanity that we all share. After all, we are better together.
January 03, 2022
We (Denali Dreams) were born from the dreams of two stay-at-home moms (Barb and Janie) who wanted to make a little extra money while raising their kids. With a pot, a wooden spoon and a worthy recipe, they started Denali Dreams Soap Co in their kitchen in 1997. Caitlin (That’s me!) began working for Denali Dreams in 2005, labeling lip balms. Through the years I learned the ins and outs of the business and bought the company in 2015. I was born and raised in Alaska and am always ready for an adventure, for a corny pun, or a good bowl of soup.
At Denali Dreams we love creating quality products that are good for you and your skin. It warms our hearts to know that a little piece of Alaska will go home with you, wherever in the world that may be. Despite our wide reach, we remain a small shop in the heart of Anchorage, where we make all our products by hand from start to finish. We’re a tight-knit crew that loves music, laughs, and most importantly: good smells. If you’re in town, feel free to stop by our little factory to say hi! We’d love to show you how we “make the dream”.
I get this question all the time and usually, I say whatever is currently in my shower/sink. I do have a soap I tend to go back to which is our signature soap, Denali Dreams. It's an orange spice and I call it a blanket in the shower. I love this bar because after being outside in the cold and when a blanket or a cup of tea doesn't warm the bones, I pop in the shower with this bar and I immediately feel the warmth. The cinnamon and clove are so comforting while the splash of orange lifts the spirits.
My story is a little different as I didn't start the company. I started working for the original owners when I was in high school. I started off labeling lip balms and over the next ten years, I learned the ins and outs of the business, cutting and grooming to making soap to managing the shop. In 2015, Barb and Janie were ready to retire and I was ready to carry on the dream. I've been crafting at Denali Dreams for 17 years and look forward to what the next 17 years have to offer.
Traveling! Whether that's up the street to a trailhead or across the world to eat a big bowl of Pho, explore the beaches of Thailand, or raft the icy cold water of Alaska, getting out to see what the world has to offer is a breath of fresh air and a reset button.
Take the next step. Each step will add up to opening your own small business. It can be overwhelming to look at the big picture of all the things you need to get done, so start small and then it doesn't seem so bad. Think of it as a marathon, you aren't going to go out tomorrow and run a marathon without training (maybe you will but it's going to hurt down the road), business is the same. It's all about the long haul and business is just that. So don't try and sprint because you'll run out of steam.
“One more piece of advice that I've found helpful is to surround yourself with people who are good at what they do. Play to your strengths and get help for the stuff you don't like doing or aren't good at. You will thank yourself later.”
Some Fun Facts about Denali Dreams & Caitlin:
Thanks for taking the time to read about me and The Dream!
We are grateful to carry such incredible work from artists with big hearts and burning passions here at Forests, Tides & Treasures, and consider many of them family. Thank you to Caitlin for interviewing with us and revealing her love of both S-O-A-P and S-O-U-P. It is our goal at FTT to bridge the gap between our vendors and consumers and embrace the humanity that we all share. After all, we are better together.
August 26, 2021
June 18, 2021
Our July 2021 First Friday Art Walk event is not business as usual, as we have an entire family bursting at the seams with artistic ability - thus we are featuring the Brace Family in an Art-A-Palooza!
Read on to learn more about Annie Brace of Corso Graphics, her daughter Eliza and son Cooper - their relationships with art, aspirations, and our beloved state of Alaska.
May 15, 2021
March 01, 2021
January 30, 2021 1 Comment