Becky Bragg

I started painting the dramatic Alaskan scenery back in the 70’s when my husband bought me an oil set.  We later moved to Florida where I took a few night classes. One teacher I took from, Abraham Kublanoff, was wondering why I never put people in her paintings. Then he said, “Oh, I know why. It’s because you want the viewers to place them- selves in the scene.” I thought, no it’s because I don’t know how to do people. Although I did later learn to paint people, I still choose the openness of landscapes.

The local library invited painters to show their work. I had ten or so landscapes displayed around a room. Several sold.  A precious memory I have is when my aging father came to see my show and said proudly, “You’re just selling more of these all of the time, aren’t you?”  That was an exaggeration, but his enthusiasm was motivating.

Years passing found me painting as I could and finally earning an endorsement to teach art to complement my degree in English.  When our four children approached college age, I took a job teaching English and Art to Inupiat students at Barrow, Alaska. I introduced the junior and high school students to drawing, painting and pottery. That culture has a natural talent for art, and the grand highlight of the year was a show of their work. The students were excited, and the community was very supportive and responsive.

At present, I am working on a collection of paintings inspired by Kaui, and the northwest, Stanwood and Camano Island in particular. Although I has experimented with watercolor, and pastels, she still prefers oils.