Creative Q&A with Big Lake acrylic painter Nancy Jenkins

BIG LAK E — Big Lake acrylic painter Nancy Jenkins recently participated in a question and answer interview to discuss art as a whole, her creative process, and being the first featured artist in Big Lake Library’s new monthly artist showcase.

Q: So what’s on display here?“These are all either prints or originals…I have cards made from those. I also have a line of photo cards… There’s themes that you can pick from. I think I have close to 20 different paintings I make cards from… Usually my pictures will have a story to them… This is the first time I’ve ever put my originals out for sale. I have prints in different sizes.”

Q: How long have you been making art?“Other than what I did in grade school, I never did anything with art until after I was married... I would say in my late twenties... We came to Alaska in 81... For a stretch of 15 years, I didn’t paint at all... I didn’t pick it up again until I moved out here [Mat-Su Valley] about 16 or 17 years ago. That’s when I really started to paint again.”

Q: So I see a lot of your paintings and photographs consist of Alaskan nature scenes, is that what you gravitate towards?“Mostly. And boats… I did dog mushing for 25 years… My whole life was outside, doing outdoor things.”

Q: What does art mean to you now?“I’m always surprised… I’m like, ‘wow, I did that?’ and then there’s things in my closet that people are never gonna see,” she said with a laugh. I’ve always had some sort of art over the years [pottery, basket weaving, etc.]... I’ve never had any formal instruction or anything like that. It’s pretty much just wing it… I also play the piano. I played at my church for 20 years, and I did a lot of singing. Music has been a big part of my life too… I never have a shortage of things to do.”

Q: Would you say that creativity is very important to you then?‘Yes absolutely. It is.”

Q: What do you think about this opportunity to showcase your work at the Big Lake Library?“This is a whole new program for them and I’m glad I can be a part of it too… This is really great. This is a wonderful opportunity not just for me, but any artists.”

Q: So you come here a lot?“The library has been a big part of our life. We’re avid readers, my husband especially,” she said with a laugh. “This is part of our social life here.”

Q: How important is it for local artists to have places like this to show what they’re doing?“There’s very few places in our area, and this is going to be a really big benefit to our community. It really is.

Q: What’s your take on the local talent around the community?“There’s a lot of talent out here. There’s a lot of talent people don’t know about.”

Q: What’s your advice to artists like who are thinking about getting back into a creative medium again?“I would say start off with just a few things. You don’t want a lot of things. I’ve had people from the beginning tell me it’s gonna take 2 or 3 years years, because it takes that long before you really get to the point where people know who you are, even in a small community like this… It’s not something that’s gonna happen overnight… See how that goes before you commit yourself to a big thing, just kind of doing this gradual.”

Q: Anything else?“Take classes, where you have other people there who can support you. That’s important. I think that’s one of the things that made it hard for me. I didn’t really have anybody around me who knew how to help me.”

Q: So, surround yourself around people with people that can help you improve?“Exactly.”

Jenkins’ work will be on display throughout the month of November. While there is no cost for the space, artists are encouraged to make donations. Stop by the Big Lake Library each month to see the featured artist. For more information, call 907-892-6475.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com