Unique Paintings, Prints & Sculptures by Alaska Native Artist: Aakatchaq

New aluminum & red oak sculptures

2011-10-03T17:58:00.001-08:00

Recent paintings on canvas and wood

2011-10-03T17:54:00.001-08:00

Caribou Skin Masks/Wax Painting

2010-10-21T16:39:00.002-08:00

2010-06-10T14:00:00.003-08:00

Acrylic pastel & wood stain on birch finish plywood

Image on birch finish wood w/ burned effect

Painting in Progress

2008-10-13T18:26:00.003-08:00

Acrylic & Pastel Paintings/Caribou Hair & Skin

2005-12-29T15:05:00.002-09:00

Caribou Hair Baby
acrylic pastel on paper w/ caribou hair

Woman, pen & acryic paint on canvas

This Woman, acrylic on paper board w/ handmade paper. Within the image describes the hardship of this eskimo: this woman.

Untitled Woman, acrylic on canvas 5' x 15"

Untitled Man, acrylic pastel, coffee on paper

Young Woman, watercolor pastel on handmade paper

Caribou Hair Woman, acrylic pastel/paint, caribou hair on canvas

Beautiful Child, large acrylic paint, plexi glass transparent

Caribou Skin Woman, acrylic on canvas, caribou skin

Ahna & Child, acrylic pastel on paper

Young Hunter, acrylic watercolor on paper

Seal Skin Beauty, large acrylic on plastic blind

Opposition in Caribou Nude, acrylic on canvas

Painting reads: When the tutu have been raped is it only the tulugaq overhead that hears their sorrow. While the land bleeds from the violation, can deaf ears hear their whisper over the tundra. Can you see the gluttenous bellies fester as guilt eats within; taking revenge through their open, seeing eyes.

(tutu - caribou; tulugaq - raven)

Young Hunter II, acrylic pastel/paint on paper w/ handmade Thai paper accent

Acrylic & Pastel Paintings

2005-12-28T10:06:00.001-09:00

Anivaaq, acrylic on handmade paper

The mother of Aakatchaq's most loved elder, the only successful painting created in her image, Freida Goodwin, the mother of Mary Goodwin

That One, acrylic on canvas

Kikiktagrukmiut, acrylic on canvas

Wearing Skin, acrylic pastel on paper, acrylic paint

In Our Time, acrylic pastel on paper

As They Were, acrylic pastel on paper

Capturing The Hunter, acrylic pastel on paper, acrylic paint

Pastel on Handmade Paper

2005-12-27T10:42:00.000-09:00

Tupilaq Resurrected, "artifact resurrected" this is a large scale acrylic pastel on handmade paper

One of Aakatchaq's favorite images, this elder is adorned in chin tatoos as well as those up her arm to her shoulder, inside her forearm and across her breast.

$4000.00 w/ custom framing by Wendy Gould, Far North Framing
Available

Child no.2, pastel & watercolor on handmade paper

Caribou/Deer Skin Paintings

2005-12-27T09:26:00.000-09:00

Aakatchaq begins with a raw hide, the hair still attached to the skin, and through a weeklong process, removes the hair and the membrane of the flesh side. Using traditional tools and methods to scrape the skin as well as to remove the hair, she turns out a unique and beautiful product to incorporate in her painting.

Amouluq One, acrylic pastel on caribou skin, caribou hair & handmade Thai paper

My First Tutu, acrylic on caribou skin

At Peace, acrylic on caribou skin

Untitled Woman, acrylic on canvas, deer skin from Klukwan, Alaska

One That Follows, caribou skin w/ gesso on back with an etched image of a woman

Nolaq Looking Back, acrylic on canvas, caribou skin

Prints Available

2005-12-22T16:19:00.001-09:00

Four Prints: Native Nude, Amouluq Walking, Isinnaqmiut II, Season of Remembering

Native Nude printed on heavy museum quality watercolor paper, this beauty is adorned in traditional Inuit tatoos and wears seal skin leggings

$200.00/print

Available

Amouluq Walking, (great-grandfather walking) colorful raven lithograph print, spiritual realm of the Shaman

$45.00/print

Available

Isinnaqmiut II (elder from the village of Shungnak/blue on black) glossy print

$40.00/print

Available

Season of Remembering, Large limited edition Giclee swan print with certification of authenticity, printed on museum grade archival paper, border is black to enhance the frayed canvas backing. Two years & two cities for completion.

$300.00/print

Available

Kiana School Painting ~ Percent for Art ~

2005-12-22T15:12:00.000-09:00

The largest painting of Aakatchaq's to date: 9' x 12' w/ 2" depth

Kiana School Percent for Art Commission

This 9' x 12' acrylic painting was done in nine panels, a colorful view of the unbridled beauty of the Kiana landscape entitled:

Kaatyakmiut Qinigaat: The people of Kiana are looking, it is visible to them and they can see it.

Close-up of caribou

Aluminum & Red Oak Sculptures

2005-12-22T14:58:00.000-09:00

Swan & Caribou Aluminum with Red Oak
Laminated red oak risers, water-based stain, 3' end to end, available by commission

Swan #2

Tutu, (caribou) #1

Swan #1

Commission Double Fish: La Petite Pearl 3'

Swan In Repose, 5' water-based stained red oak w/ black latex paint embellishment

Close-up of swan w/ drizzle black accent

Artist Bio

2005-12-22T14:53:00.000-09:00

Inupiaq Eskimo artist Aakatchaq (Ak-ah-chak) is Kikiktagrukmiut, born and raised above the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, Alaska. Aakatchaq began creating art professionally in 1999, and continues to experiment with new materials such as moving from canvas portraits to those on stretched caribou and deerskins, or creating visual effects with caribou hair in paintings. More recently she began working with aluminum and wood whose sensual creations swim down the walls of the newly remodeled high school in the Northwest Arctic Borough in Northwest Alaska.

Her art began with acrylic paintings and has evolved from canvas to caribou & sealskin, to aluminum and wood pieces. She began carving walrus ivory tusks with exotic hardwood and more recently she began creating her caribou skin masks. All art inquiries can be directed to: aakatchaq@gmail.com

Artist Statement:

From the view of an Eskimo childhood

seen through the heads in the tundra

walking amidst the graves arose my ancestors

reborn. Focus of visions:

Eskimos walking atop frozen water

carrying the burden of a thousand years of living and dying upon their backs,

looking backwards into the eyes of a newborn,

remembering. The history of these deceased relatives

written upon their chins

in tattoos of beauty

and adornments of ivory labrets. On this frozen land walks a people

beneath a blinding white horizon.

They utter to their children-to-come of this Inupiaq life,

a living memory;

spoken through stories, myths, carvings

and paint.