45 days until Christmas...

Just sayin'.

Night Lights

Some Aurora photos from last night.  Of course as soon as I got my camera all set it started to fade out. 

 

Oh well, enjoy!

 

That Guy

So a quick note...no I am not in jail, under indictment, or under pre-indictment confinement.   My life just isn't that exciting.  And while it's good to know I'm not the only Jason Vukovich out there, even in Alaska, it's bad to find out that someone similarly named made the news for something other than artwork. 

 

Oh well, now I know how John Smith, Sven Hansen Johannsen Larson, Sean Murphy, Mohammed Mohammed, and Doug Mackenzie (if you're Canadian) feel. 

 

Actually, Li is the most common surname in Canada-who knew?

Maybe I should have added "yet" to list of things I'm not...

 

The big idea.

Experimenting with big paintings to be hung outside.  Acrylic on plastic on a pressure-treated wood frame.  Who doesn't like a big bird.  King Eider, 4' x 6'.

Good Idea Fairy Visited

So I totally stole this idea for paint storage off a repost on Facebook.   And now I really see I need some new paint..


Couple of my oil tubes have price tags from my college art store...shout out to Art Coop.

Subject Matter

I've been looking for a theme lately, a direction for building a show.  Last year the Alaska Railroad painting sucked up a lot of my artist energy so I'm looking forward to rebuild a body of work.   I think I found it in some of our local animals.   Stay tuned (or not given my blog view stats lately, jeez, nobody wants to look at stale blogs that never get updated...what's up with that?)


Behold, the artistic process in all it's glory.

Aurora Morning

I may have been a little late to work today after spending a few minutes watching the aurora this morning...how could you not stop to watch the northern lights!   I could even see them from my office downtown, it has to be one of the best perks of life in Alaska.

From last fall, this morning was waaaaaay better!

Happy Holidays!

OK, so I've violated my blog rule of posting at least every other week...if anyone out there is checking this periodically I apologize either for wasting your time or not (your pick depending on your web outlook).   Not a lot new art-wise recently, the Alaska Railroad 2016 Print signings are over and it's been a lot of holiday fun lately.  Along with holiday sickness running thru the studio.   But I got a cool present for my birthday that will allow me to see who's been lurking around the yard-a new trail camera.  After catching beautiful photos of the UPS truck and my neighbors driving by, I moved the camera caught this on Boxing Day:

 

Now I know who poops on the lawn.  And occasionally the drive way.

Weekend Doings

Lots of things going on this weekend for me.   First I'll be in Fairbanks this Friday at the Depot off of the Johansen Expressway (take Danby, look for the signs) for a First Friday Print & Poster Signing from 4 to 7:30.  This will be the final signing event where you can meet me, get your print personalized, and poster signed.  Should be fun!

Not the Fairbanks Depot, but Nenana's Station is pretty cool too.

On Saturday I'll be at Lake Otis Elementary in Anchorage at their Holiday Craft Show with cards, prints, and featuring bird ornaments.   This is one stop shopping for cards in that this is pretty much the way to buy any of the cards & holiday prints if you are in the southcentral Alaska region from me.  Moose & porcupine cards can be bought from the Alaska Zoo at the gift shop (outside the main entrance) and I highly encourage anyone to shop there too and support the zoo's mission.

 

Yes, I know the BlogSpot address is spelled wrong.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!    Hope you had a great day!  Now on with the next holiday...

Saturday at the Anchorage Depot

This Saturday from 10-2, The Alaska Railroad will have a signing event for the 2016 print and yours truly will be on hand to sign anything you would like (keep it PG-13).  Last weekend in Houston went great, thanks to everyone who came out and braved to cool weather  and to the Houston High School "Go Hawks!" for hosting.   I met some nice folks who loved the print.  I'll be in Fairbanks on December 4th for the last event.


Why did I paint SD70MAC #4321?  Because it was there.

 

And a little history, today marks the 153rd Anniversary of one of the "greatest speeches of national purpose", a two minute speech given while the speaker was suffering from the precursors to smallpox.  A speech which is, among others, directly quoted in the constitution of France "gouvernement du peuple, par le peuple et pour le peuple" ("government of the people, by the people, and for the people").   In light of recent events, I thought it appropriate to remember the Gettysburg Address:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

 

Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, November 19th, 1863

Holiday Card Painting & Alaska Railroad Poster

Yes, I do have a lovely view of the apartment building outside my window.

Just a quick look at the poster, it's actually a really nice size at 16" x 20"...seen hanging in my office so I can lament every day over all the little things I wish I could change in the original painting.   What can I say, some of us are just never satisfied, and some of us are just too neurotic.  And I'll be in Houston, ALASKA (people outside always think I'm headed to Texas) on Saturday at the high school from 10-2 to sign posters, prints are already signed but I'll sign it again if you like. 

And I've finally completed this year's holiday card painting featuring our favorite wolf pack from the Alaska Zoo. The plan is to have cards available for purchase soon so that you can wow friends and families with a cool and unique card and then bore them to tears with all the inane ramblings we love put inside about everyday life over the past year. 

Who am I kidding, we all love to read those inane ramblings inside cards!

"Happy Howlidays"

Happy Veteran's Day



Why walk when you can ride?  Me in Sperwan Ghar, Khandahar, Afghanistan 2006



From this vet to all of the other veterans and their families who put up with them out there, hope you have a great Veterans Day!

 

Also the Alaska Railroad Gift Shop should be selling the 2016 Print & Poster any day now.  They already have pins for sale.

http://alaskarailroadgiftshop.com/store/

 

Cheers.

 

D'oh!

The comment function is fixed, anyone can comment now.  In my infinite web prowess I failed to check the box that allowed the general public to leave a comment or ads for viagra or spam the site to death.  Mmmm...Spam.  So leave a note, a comment, a message, an emoji, or just peruse the ramblings of a crazy guy in Alaska who paints pictures.

In other news, tomorrow I will be at the Anchorage Downtown Partnership meeting at 9 AM with the Alaska Railroad to talk about the 2016 painting/print.  And on Friday I will be signing 750 prints for the Alaska Railroad which means they will go on sale soon.  Woohoo!

My torn tendon/ligament on my right index finger is not looking forward to signing all those prints : (

At the Zoo

 

 

The Alaska Zoo Gift Shop is now carrying my Christmas Cards.   I know, I know, it's not even past Halloween and Thanksgiving has yet to rear it's gravy-soaked head yet but...  

 

Almost all of the animals at the Alaska Zoo are rescues from Alaska that cannot be release due to injury or habituation as well as animals on the Endangered Species List that are part of species survival plans representing arctic and sub-arctic species.



A moose and a porcupine walk into a gift shop...

 

...here's an idea, skip Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Walmart Wednesday, and Costco Caturday(?). Instead spend some time learning about nature and animals at the Alaska Zoo or your local zoo, wildlife or sea life center, forest preserve, national park, or wherever you go to get back to whatever piece of wilderness you find.  If they have a gift shop or donation jar, spend a couple dollars on something and make your hard earned money go to something more worthwhile than corporate profit.   At least here at the Alaska Zoo, all purchases go to support the zoo and its mission of education and care of animals.

Snake, the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), thanks you for your support.

Here's a recent commissioned work, meet Shea, named after the stadium if I'm not mistaken. Pet portraiture can be interesting but stressful to paint, you are trying to capture a lot of emotions and personality in just one two dimensional image.  Most of all I really just want the recipient to be happy with it as a lot of these commissions are in memoriam.   Since I knew Shea this one was really enjoyable to create. 

What are you lookin at?

I just like this photo I took on Sunday...occasionally we all feel this way : )

The Alaska Railroad sent out a press release with details of the 2016 Painting I did for them for their annual print.  It will be available for purchase from the railroad via their gift shop online or at the Anchorage & Fairbanks depots.  Special thanks to the Alaska Railroad and especially Stephenie Wheeler!  More info at:

//www.alaskarailroad.com/corporate/Community/AnnualPrintContest/tabid/475/Default.aspx

Some examples of my work.

I take on commissioned work and love working with clients especially on paintings of places, people, and animals they love.  Feel free to contact me via the jasonvuke@gmail.com .

Name Game

Originally I titled this site something different.   "Wolf Son Studio".   Why Wolf Son you ask?  No I'm not a New Age mystic or a huge fan of the founding myth of the Roman Empire.  My last name is Croatian and means "wolf son" (probably really translates as "son of a wolf" but that's a little too, um, like another "son of a" phrase).   So, poof, there's my website, my studio name, and my brand.  Plus it sort of follows the whole Alaskan-natural thing.  

And then I bailed on it.

Jason Vukovich Art has a following on facebook and etsy and I didn't want to confuse it.  And I did start thinking it was a little too new-agey sounding for a studio I built in half of our two car garage.   Maybe someday when we have our gallery in Talkeetna I'll think of a clever name like "Wailing Loon" or "Lonely Moose Nugget" or just "Hoary Marmot" but for now I think Jason Vukovich Art works.  

Who knows, maybe someday people will even learn how to spell and say it, although I'm not holding my breath.

Red, the Red Wolf, however liked the "Wolf Son Studio" name.