About Shearwater Gallery

Theresa Gonzalez

Seward, Alaska

Theresa is a wife, mother, and artist living and painting in arguably the most beautiful place in the world, the vast and varied expanse we call Alaska.

She loves to travel all over Alaska exploring everything from Denali National Park, to the ice carvings in Fairbanks, to tiny coastal communities, to the rivers and tundras and all the wild lands in between. Her travels are not limited to Alaska, and Theresa finds art inspiration wherever she goes.

Theresa draws inspiration for her art from all that she sees and experiences in the great outdoors. She is especially fond of tidepools, old growth forests, and any kind of wildlife big or small.

Throughout her life Theresa has always been fascinated by the interplay between land, water, sky, nature and the human experience, and often chooses as her subjects the places where these elements meet and interact.

 Theresa and family currently  live in Seward, Alaska, where she is the owner of Shearwater Gallery.

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blog: twinspruceart.com

Charlie Renfro

Anchorage, Alaska

Charlie Renfro was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska.  He spent the majority of his late youth and early adult life roaming around in the snowy mountains on skis with friends.  He has always had a camera in his pocket, but decided to get more serious about taking photos around the age of 25. Since then, Charlie has focused mainly on capturing the beauty of mountains. “The mountains inspire me like nothing else. My goal is to share the grandeur of these beautiful, remote places with everyone. I would love for those who do not have the opportunity to see them in reality be able to experience the awe as I do through my photography.”

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Aakatchaq Schaefer

Kotzebue, Alaska

Inupiaq Eskimo artist Aakatchaq (AK-ah-chak) is Kikiktagrukmiut, born and raised above the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, Alaska. Aakatchaq began creating art professionally at the end of 1999.

She continues to experiment with new materials such as moving from canvas portraits to those on stretched caribou and deerskin, or creating visual effects with large-scale encaustic paintings.

She also works with various forms of sculpture from aluminum and wood, to polystyrene creatures. She also makes one-of-a-kind caribou skin masks made from de-haired caribou hide. Each skin mask is unique and evolves organically. This is her contemporary take on a traditional artform.

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Lou Cacioppo

Gustavus, Alaska

Lou Cacioppo

Lou Cacioppo lives and works in Gustavus, AK, at the threshold of Glacier Bay National Park. Though originally from New York, Lou has lived in Alaska for nearly 50 years. He apprenticed with Tsimshian Native carver Jack Hudson, and was adopted into the Tlingit nation, Eagle clan and given the name Zwash nah.

Through the use of many mediums, Lou invokes powerful and emotional responses by “going for the heart” of the viewer. “Through portrait sculpture, I create visual links that portray the underlying feelings and emotions of everyday life. My art addresses changes in the modern world, changes so vast and rapid that man can scarcely adjust. The nature of one’s whole context changing from week to week is a kind of stress not previously known to man and not acknowledged due to the masks we wear. We suffer for the need of instantaneous gratification, and we are losing our compassion and therefore our desire to physically socialize. We are moving towards individual isolation.” Through his art Lou strives to slow if not stop that direction.

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Tammy Holland

Tammy Holland

Fairbanks, Alaska

Tammy creates mixed media paintings, sculptures andjewelry.  Being an Alaskan Native that grew up on the banks of the Yukon has been influential in the imagery she creates and the message she wishes to convey.  She is interested in appreciating nature and often plays with proportion and perspective to draw attention to all the gifts she has received living in this rugged land.  It is her hope that her work will inspire viewers to take a moment to appreciate the landscape and consider the footprint that we are collectively leaving.

Art making is part of everything Tammy does. She wakes with new ideas and thoughts she would like to express.  She is interested in starting a conversation about engaging in moments, of experiencing the full spectrum of our sensory perception.  The sounds, smells, tastes, and textural richness that are subconsciously associated with imagery.

Tammy installed five life size figures for the Municipality of Anchorage 1% Public Art program this past summer.  The interaction with the community members where the art was installed has completely altered her understanding and enthusiasm for large scale public art.  She was humbled and surprised at the impact her work had on the locals, most of her interactions with the public in regards to her work had been within the parameters of an art event, sale, gallery, or venue; how-ever on the streets of their neighborhood Tammy was in her element and the conversations and reactions were more genuine and unfiltered.  Tammy is interested in participating in more of these types of projects to make meaningful connections in communities through art.  

Tammy is currently searching for commissions for large scale outdoor works that incorporate recycled materials with cast bronze and aluminum pieces as the figures formed from the combination of new and old materials lends to a connection to place and community.

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Kassandra Mirosh

Healy, Alaska

Kassandra Mirosh is a long time Alaskan resident. Her art reflects a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the state.   She is inspired not only by landscapes, but also by the amazing adaptations that allow animals and plants to live in harsh environments.  Her art allows her to observe nature in a variety of mediums.  Currently, Kassandra is inspired by the birds that call Alaska home year-round as well as the flurry of migratory birds that come to the state for the summer season. Her birds are constructed with decorative paper and recycled materials.  Each paper feather is cut and articulated showing the gorgeous structure of the creature. Kassandra teaches Art, English, History and Spanish in the small town of Healy, Alaska in the Denali Borough. 

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Denise Ekstrand

Anchorage, Alaska

Denise Ekstrand lives and works as an artist in Anchorage, Alaska. After graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for graphic design way back in the 1900s, Denise began her career as a designer and illustrator working for several advertising agencies. With the constant need to meet printing deadlines, Denise became skilled at painting with the quick, but most unforgiving beast of all paint media, watercolor. 

Denise first came to Alaska while on vacation. It was a beautiful summer in a beautiful place, so she decided to leave the rat race of city life and settle for a more outdoorsy, flannel-wearing pace. Denise married and raised a family, all of which have been replaced with cats now. 

Denise’s summers are spent traveling Alaska sharing her vision of what otters should look like with thousands of tourists and locals at fairs and festivals. She loves the smiles, giggles and even the rare side eye that these Alaskan critters all gussied up evoke. 

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