Buoys & Art Auction 2022

BHV Buoys & Art 2022 Fundraiser!

Several artists have kindly donated their time and talent to paint buoys and create art for our online auction, and we can't thank them enough for their generosity! The buoys and art can be seen in person at Island Artists Gallery, located at 205 Lincoln Street, from August 23-29, with a special after-hours showing on

Friday, August 26 from 5-7 PM. All are invited!

Find your favorites and then place your bids in our online auction August 23-30, 2022.

You can visit the BHV Buoys & Art 2022 auction website here.

Bumbling Around Sitka

by Cinnamon Dockham

10" buoy

I like to think that with the extremely important job pollinators have in the world, they can glean joy from their work. I imagine our bees cheerily bumbling around the entire town from flower to beautiful flower, enjoying each unique nectar, color, and fragrance. The Sitka roses epitomize the perfect flower- brightly colored, big enough to support a curious bee or two, and the scent is divine.

Whale of a Family

by Dj Robidou

12" buoy

A single or group of US,

Biologically and/or Spiritually bound.

It’s purpose to uplift, protect, take care of,

Anticipate...often without a sound.

An ebb and flow like the ocean,

It’s force, it’s beauty, it’s power.

All swimming together to reach the goal,

Giving no thought to cower.

Whatever it takes we ALL show up,

WHEREVER the need may BE.

It’s all part of the GIFT we’ve been given,

As INFINITE as the deep blue SEA.

Frog Buoy

by Laura Kaltenstein

6" buoy

Laura Kaltenstein is a Sitka, Alaska artist. She has lived in coastal Alaska for 35 years. She mostly works in glass beads sewn onto felt to make brooches of sea stars, jellyfish, and little people with limpet shell faces. She works in acrylic paintings on wood, and on buoys recovered from beach clean-ups, in detailed designs.

Laura worked as a tour guide for hikers, bikers, and birders and now works as a Protected Species Observer for a dock construction company in many different Alaskan locations. She spends much of her time enjoying the outdoors and the wildlife of coastal Alaska, rain or shine.

Salmonberries

by Libby Stortz

5" buoy

After living in Sitka for over 30 years, I miss the luxurious experience of gathering and eating berries every year. We would eat them fresh and put them up for dormant months, tiding us over until the next harvest. Jams, jellies, pancakes, pies, muffins and tarts were little treasures. Our lives revolved around the harvests while watching and feeding birds living in and migrating through our beautiful town. Just like you do!

I’ve continued to be an avid bird feeder and love birding, so when I received this little gem of a buoy, I couldn’t help but combine these two sweet aspects of my time in Sitka. I can imagine the leafing out and blossoming of salmonberries with their huge, tart berries and the little nests the birds make between their branches in this season of plenty.

Rock Climbing

by Columbus Wichman

12.5" buoy

I've been enjoying painting rocks lately. The round buoy turned it into more of a challenge. My other rock paintings have different objects on top of the rocks. The starfish just climbed on in such a natural way, so I stuck with the solo starfish and said....GOOD, I like it...DONE! Hope it pleases you as you look at it.

Orcas in Balance

by Leslie Dupuis

14" buoy

Springtime in Sitka means the return of herring and all the charismatic megafauna that rely on them. Our easy inspiration came from the whales, but discussion about orcas one day led to the discovery that there are two versions of these popular pinnipeds: the anthropomorphized version and the realistic orca. The community news page is always full of excitement when groups of orcas are spotted close to town and people flock to the water’s edge in hopes of getting a glimpse of these magnificent denizens of the deep. However, in order to survive, orcas engage in predatory behavior that some people identify as being indifferent and cruel. Both the excitement and ambivalence we feel about orcas show a balance between reality and the human characteristics we assign to these creatures. This buoy reflects this balance. The white orca reflects the Anthropomorphized Orca: whether it is beautiful and magnificent as it speeds through the water, or cunning and cruel as it targets mother and baby whale pairs. The black orca represents the Realistic Orca that is living in the world as a large predator that has adapted to its surroundings and available food sources.

buoybuoy

by C Gale

8" buoy

This cast aluminum buoy is surrounded with glass and lead.

The Spawn

by Anne Doyle

11" buoy

The Spawn is an awakening of spring. It’s the first sign that winter is ending. Sitka Sound has historically been considered the herring egg capital of northern southeast Alaska. A keystone species, the herring’s traditional and ecological importance within the ecosystem is depended upon by countless species that gather within Sitka Sound to feed upon the eggs and herring themselves. I wanted to help portray the excitement of the spring spawn with the movement and gathering of species and life under our beautiful sea.

We All Shine

by Sharon Neema Shaban

11" buoy

I’m Sharon Neema Shaban, an AFS 2021-22 high school exchange student from Malinda, Kenya. I did the buoy having a plan on my mind, but changed it once I started. The base colors on each side of the buoy show different skin tones and the dots show how regardless the color, everyone shines - so we’re all equal. Also, the green roots show how we’re bounded by the nature around us. Nature doesn’t pick a color, so why should we?

Swaying Sea Anenomes

by Lola Hitchcock

12" buoy

My friend Clare Mullin and I used to paint rocks together and she came up with the original anemone design. I added dotting to the center of the anemone to add my personal touch.

Pursuing Lunch

by Amy Sweeney

6" & 11.5" buoys

42" long

Whales chasing herring is a favorite theme I have been exploring for some time now. With this piece, I wanted to expand beyond the single sphere of one buoy, and I have always been fascinated by mobile art. These ideas led me to decide to try extending the art beyond the surface of the buoy. I settled on wire sculpture because it wouldn’t act too strongly as a sail when the piece was hung outside, allowing for gentler movement of the larger buoy. I hope that the swaying spiral movement of the whale buoy, combined with the spinning movement of the herring ball, enhance how the viewer perceives the full 360-degrees of the images.

Straley's Sitka Summer

by Angie

12" buoy

Decoupaging the round, scarred surface of a buoy is a real challenge, but the subject matter made this project absolutely enjoyable. I chose to showcase the book, 100 Poems of Summer by John Straley, illustrated by Norman Campbell. The charming haikus eloquently capture Straley’s summer life in Sitka, as do the beautiful images of Southeast Alaska drawn by Campbell. I couldn’t help but smile while working on the buoy, as Straley’s verses stirred my own memories of nearly forty summers in Sitka and reminded me how much I love it here.

Halitrephes Jellyfish

by Norman Campbell

13" buoy

48" tall

I was inspired by this creature of the sea… Few sea animals are so capable of flowing movement as the jellyfish…in a gentle breeze this former buoy captures a bit of the movement that jellyfish exhibit.

This piece is a collaborative effort between Norm and Toby Campbell and Steve Lawrie, who offered up ideas, as well as mylar to complete the intent of the work.

Birds Buoy

by Anna Saiz

10.5" buoy

Check back for more information about Anna's buoy!

Blue Herons

by Iko Sullivan

9" buoy

I’ve been a watercolorist for many years. I’m inspired by this magnificent beauty we live in. I love to capture the treasure of landscapes, flowers and birds. Besides painting I love playing jazz music on the piano.

Poppies from Kitty's Garden

by Pat Kehoe

12" buoy

Poppies from Kitty’s Garden, Papaver Somniferum, probably doesn’t produce opium here but the blossoms are stunning and spring forth each year to brighten the greys of our world.

More of Pat Kehoe's are can be seen at islandartistsgallery.com

Nootka Rose

by Pat Kehoe

14.5" buoy

“Nootka Rose,” a study in contradictions, this rose has the most delicate blossom with a subtle sweet aroma, but the plant features sharp thorns and forms an impenetrable thicket. I’ve found it clinging to life on a rock with the tiniest dab of soil for nourishment and given half a chance it flourishes here.

More of Pat Kehoe's are can be seen at islandartistsgallery.com

Shining Spring

by Angie

11" buoy

While painting this buoy, I hoped to capture the happy essence and brilliance of Spring—namely the birds, butterflies, and blossoms that recolor our world after a long winter. The fun of painting each detail reminded me of decorating sugar cookies in my mom’s kitchen when she baked with her grandchildren. So, it seemed perfectly fitting to ask my own granddaughter Ruby to name the buoy; she calls it “Shining Spring.”

Lykkelig Hjerte

by Angie

10.5" buoy

Lykkelig Hjerte means “Happy Heart” in Norwegian and this buoy is a tribute to my sweet Norwegian grandparents, Ed and Alma Iverson, who each had a servant’s heart and treated others with such kindness. Whenever I see Norwegian folk art in the traditional red, blue, and yellow colors, I instantly think of my childhood visits to their happy home.

There are two sayings printed on the buoy: “No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart,” and “Every day, do something that makes your heart sing.” My grandparents embodied these sentiments, and it was a joy to recall their radiant happiness and genuine goodness while painting.

Child’s Buoy Chair

by Steve Lawrie

18.5" high x 14" wide

I had cut a buoy in half to start on a different project. My granddaughter Clark saw one of the halves and sat perfectly naturally in it ; the original thought was instantly exchanged for a kids chair!

(Donated by BHV Volunteer Kim Hunter)

Daisy Meadow

by Angie

10" buoy

I painted this buoy in memory of my grandmother, Gammy Susan, who was a delightful mix of elegance, humor, and wisdom. She was also a talented artist. Gammy enjoyed working with oils, acrylics, and watercolors, and was admired for her lifelike portrayals of landscapes and flowers. One of my favorite paintings, a vaseful of dazzling daisies, serves as the inspiration for this buoy. I loved thinking about Gammy as I painted, and I love the name my granddaughter Arya suggested: “Daisy Meadow.”

Art Quilt - Lichens 1

by Diane Friedman

30" x 22.5"

I have always been fascinated by the color and beauty of lichens which appear as works of art on rock faces in New Mexico where I live. Lichens are incredibly important for establishing new ecosystems, providing food for animals, preventing soil erosion, and for monitoring pollution levels in our environment.

Techniques and fabrics:
The background is painted silk and the lichens are cut from painted pellon using a craft cutter. This is a technique I learned from Betty Busby, an incredible multimedia artist.

The Buoy Painter

by Randy Ferguson

9”h x 3”w x 2”d caricature
7"h x 2"w stool with buoy

This fun little guy is busy painting a buoy for the BHV Auction--and getting paint everywhere! The character, stool, and buoy are hand- carved from basswood with small gouges and knives and painted with acrylic. Randy says, "They’re fun to create and I know the carving is coming alive when it makes me laugh!"

Moon & Stars Child's Chair

by Dorothy M. Olsen

22.5"h x 14.5"w x 12"d

Child's Panda Bench

by Dorothy M. Olsen

30.5"h x 34"w x 11"d

Dorothy was born and raised in Sitka, and has been interested in art all her life. Inspired by her father Kermit Olsen's passion for carving full size eagles, Dorothy learned relief carving in 1991. Her passion for decorative painting started in 2001. Dorothy received certification under Donna Dewberry in Florida and taught college classes in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Alaska, and other local schools. She has also attended many workshops with world renowned artists to learn new techniques and improve her skills.

Dorothy said, "There is so much to learn and see in Southeast Alaska with its outstanding beauty, which is motivating in itself. It has inspired me to get into painting landscaping, animals and birds, and with its entire splendor, I am hooked. I found out that if you have the desire and passion for something you truly want to do, the rest will all fall into place and it will happen."

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Skunk Cabbage and Water Lily

by Dale DeArmond

4" x 5" print

Polar Bear with Fish

by Dale DeArmond

4" x 6"

The Sorrowful Princess

by Dale DeArmond

4" x 5"

Dale DeArmond was a prolific, well-known Alaskan artist, most notably for her wood engraving illustrations. Dale lived and worked throughout Alaska before retiring to the Sitka Pioneers Home with her husband Bob in 1991. She died in 2006 at age 92.

(Prints donated by the Artist Cove Gallery)

Raven's Cradle

by Jerrod Galanin

11" x 14" artist's proof

This is a lovely 11”h x 14”w artist's proof giclée print of a Tlingit raven, using archival pigment on cotton rag paper.

Raven Flew Off With a Blueberry V2

by Jerrod Galanin

14" x 11" artist's proof

This stunning 14”h x 11”w artist's proof (and only printing in this color) is a giclée print of a Tlingit raven, using archival pigment on cotton rag paper.

Jerrod is a Tlingit artist and Brave Heart Volunteers Board member. He says, "I come from a long lineage of Tlingit artists spanning multiple generations. My art is more than a career—it is a calling. I am in awe of the Tlingit art form’s visual language, how it can embody both simple elegance and infinite complexity at the same time. I grew up watching my father and my uncle, both professional artists who were also my primary mentors, practice and speak about this art and our culture, passing this knowledge on to me like a torch just as it had been from their grandfather before. Though it was handed to me over the years in bits and pieces, in skills and stories, I understand now what it means to be a carrier of this torch, a holder of the ancient knowledge and beauty of Tlingit culture. After weathering generations worth of forced assimilation, colonization, and institutionalized racism, this torch in itself is a feat of resilience and of defiance. I strive to stay true to those before me and to inspire those who come after me. I hope to leave my mark, my experiences and perceptions, before I too pass the torch onto the next generation of culture bearers.

"While it’s my turn to be a carrier, I want to share with the world the beauty and sophistication of my culture and its art. I strive to push myself to be the best at what I do while honoring the beauty of what was and what has yet to be. As a Tlingit artist, I want to inspire and invite you to see this beauty. I work in many materials, including silver, copper, fur, wood, skins, and more, and employ both traditional and contemporary techniques and materials as I explore my voice, strengthen my design, and express my experiences."

You can see more of Jerrod's work on his website: jerrodgalanin.com

Warrior Crown

by Cara Jane Murray

22.5"w x 8"h

This stunning original painting is ink, acrylic, and watercolor.

Cara's website says, "Inspired by life and layers, Cara Jane Murray creates with the eye of a multidisciplinary artist and muralist.

"Cara’s spirited work explores the imprints of strife and jubilation. Limitless in medium, the strength of her art is rooted in its ability to evoke the inspired human spirit in all of its blunders and triumphs. Her positive, uplifting style serves to remind us that we are both great and small in this wild world.

"Born and raised in Southeast Alaska, Cara’s style illustrates an extensive graphic design background combined with a love for contemporary folk art and the expansiveness of Alaska. Both maker and mother, she resolves to stay open, clear and connected to a sense of place while remaining fluid in her spiritual experience.

"Cara believes art will continue to serve as the most honest and expansive form of communication that can ever be shared and this is how she gives, heals, rallies courage, loves and illuminates her heart."

To see more of Cara's art, visit her website carajanemurrayart.com