Featured artist shares strong Alaska roots

Award-winning mixed media artist Elizabeth Eero Irving of Eagle River will open a show titled “Reunion” at the Espresso Café with a reception from 1 to 3 p.m., Feb. 11 as part of the Second Saturday offerings in the Valley.

BACH: What are your roots in Alaska?

IRVING: I’m a third-generation Alaskan and second-generation Fairbanksan. My great-grandfather was a Stampeder and came over the Chilkoot trail in 1898. My great-grandfather traveled up to Nome and mined the beaches there. Returning to the states, he married and he and his new wife both traveled up through the Yukon in 1902, riding the White Pass Railway in Skagway soon after its completion. They traveled and staked claims around the north, finally settling in Ophir where my great-grandmother was owner of the roadhouse, as well as being the postmistress. In true pioneer woman style, she also traveled up and down the river system helping to deliver babies. They never struck it rich, but their legacy is being part of Alaska history.

BACH: What have been some challenges for you as an artist?

IRVING: For a long time, I struggled with the discipline of working consistently and regularly producing work. Finally, I’ve embraced the fact that I’m a very seasonal artist and I thrive on doing different types of work at different times of year. My best painting work is done in spring and autumn, and in winter I turn to fabric arts.

BACH: Tell me about your interest in mixed media and abstract art.

IRVING: I find I can get much more interesting textures and images with multimedia, especially tissue collage beneath layered paints. Also, altering the opacity of paints can lend a greater depth of light to the painting. In terms of abstract, I think my work falls more into the realm of abstract representation — there are still interpretable shapes; it’s not all brushstroke and color.

BACH: What are some of your most memorable experiences as an artist?

IRVING: In studio residencies abroad, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to spend up to 10 hours straight in the studio without interruption. That kind of focus and concentration is truly amazing, no matter what work you are doing. I’ve been doing my master’s degree via residencies at the Vermont Studio Center. More than 40 artists from all over the world are in residence every month there, and every time I return it’s a new crowd — big studios, amazing camaraderie, inspiring art and conversations every day.

BACH: Tell me about your honors and awards.

IRVING: I went to Cornish College as a Kreielsheimer Scholar. It was a full-ride, four-year scholarship — merit based, not financial. I was interviewing with 200 different applicants for one of the five slots open that year. I gave it my all, and it saved me from a huge bill for my undergraduate degree.

Over the last five years or so, I’ve received grants from the Rasmuson Foundation and also the Alaska State Council on the Arts in the form of a Connie Boocheever Fellowship. These are fantastic resources for artists and a great honor. The first was to purchase much-needed art supplies for three upcoming shows. The latter was just presenting my work and professional efforts as an artist in a pool of other applicants.

BACH: Anything else you want to say about your passion for life and art?

IRVING: I used to be extremely rigid about my understanding of the art world, success as an artist and my expectations about how my career was “supposed” to develop. Growing older and wiser (hopefully), I see more of the ebb and flow of artistic development and what I actually want from the arts marketplace.

BACH: Other questions that I did not ask that you wish I had?

IRVING: My inspirations are often from the natural world — specifically plants. I work seasonally as a professional nursery woman and love, love, love plants, all things botanical and gardening.

Suzanne Bach is a guest writer for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, and the Fine Arts Coordinator at Mat-Su College and director of the Machetanz Art Festival.