Well it’s officially an old new year now. And very little beaver news to report other than more outlets carrying the fake story about beavers living in the dam and destroying wildlife populations. I thought I would introduce you to a new (to me) talent in the illustration world and show you the remarkable work by Kristin Link.
Kristin Link is a fine artist and science illustrator inspired by the natural world. Her drawings, paintings, and mixed media works connect people to nature while inspiring curiosity and learning.
You can encounter Kristin’s work on interpretive signs on the side of the Glenn Highway, inside National Park visitor centers, inside schools, and in books and magazines that teach about Alaskan natural history. Kristin has exhibited her field sketches and fine art at the Alaska State Museum as well as other locations around the state and she has received grants from the Rasmuson Foundation and the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Kristin has always been inspired by spending time in the backcountry. In the past, she has worked as a backcountry guide, caretaker, and trail maintainer.
Kristin received a graduate certificate in science illustration from California State University Monterey Bay and a BA in Conservation Biology and Studio Art from Middlebury College. She was born in Brussels, Belgium, and grew up in the more urban areas near New York City and London, but now lives in an off-the-grid cabin near McCarthy, Alaska on the edge of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, which is Ahtna Athabaskan land.
I love just about everything I’ve seen of Kristen’s work. She reminds me of an American version of Lizzie Harper. I imagine the two with with very similar backpacks full of feathers, seed pods and a few little rodent skulls leftover from their last sketching exercise.
I like the beavers in her wetlands illustration but I want to see more of them. I’m thinking she might need some encouragement? Maybe from some kinds of beaver nonprofit stateside…hmm.
