Alaskan artist visits Valley

WASILLA -- Fans of Anchorage artist Barbara Lavallee's work packed into Town Square Art Gallery Saturday, hoping to meet the artist and get personalized touches added to gifts on their Christmas list.

Grandmothers brought along dolls fashioned after Lavallee's whimsical characters while others purchased books for friends and relatives Lavallee had illustrated. Some gazed at a wall filled with Lavallee's watercolor prints, selecting a new piece for their own wall while others brought along pieces they've had for years.

"Now, you've got to make some big decisions," Lavallee told one fan who had brought an armful of books and prints to be signed. With her pen poised above a print of a surprised moose regarding a group of friends soaking in a forest hot tub, Lavallee asked how she could personalize the print. After deciding one character needed a mustache, glasses and a little extra chest hair, the print was perfected.

Lavallee and other Alaskan artists are taking part in Town Square's December Meet the Artists presentations. Palmer artist Gail Niebrugge will be at the gallery next Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to sign and personalize her artwork and her recent book, "Alaska Wildflowers." The following weekend, Dec. 14, artists Jon and Jona Van Zyle will be at the gallery from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the signings, contact the gallery at 376-0123.