ALASKAN Treasures

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Darlene Lind, was born in the small village of Naknek, Alaska in 1942.She is of Irish and Aleut/Alutiiq descent. She is known for her exquisitely carved ivory and baleen jewelry, with utmost attention to detail and to intricate elements of design. She has taken those same skills to a new level in creating works in bronze. Inspired by her cultural heritage, she began sculpture, realistically portraying her ancestors. Her latest bronze sculpture, "Dance of the Gull" is an example of the traditionally taught way to show honor, as the dancer mimics the call and flight of the gull. When Darlene talks about her sculptural work, She literally lights up and her whole composure changes. It“s as if she becomes the work she is producing. She describes a flowing feeling and that feeling is carried into her works.

Bronze works of art are expensive to create and a difficult prospect in Alaska where there are no foundries. Darlene travels to the lower 48 to accomplish the finishing details of each project, which require many steps to go from clay to bronze. Artist creating contemporary jewelry, traditional headdresses, and bronze sculptures that draw on strong cultural traditions. After years of creating ivory and baleen jewelry, Darlene has begun sculpting clay figures which are then casted in bronze. "Working with clay allows me to more fully express something deep within me ~ my cultural heritage. As my fingers work the clay, the spirit of an ancestor seems to come forth in silent communication. This is my way to give honor and great respect to those who came before me."

With the encouragement of friend and noted sculptor Lee McCartt, Darlene has begun to sculpt with clay. She creates figures of her Aleut/Alutiiq ancestors and has them cast in bronze. Drawing on her own experiences as a Alaskan Native and by studying clothing, facial adornments, and tattoos documented by explorers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries she is able to create pieces that express more fully her connection to her ancestors. Her pieces, like well-told stories, reveal the hard life, joy, intelligence, and rich culture of her ancestors.

	Darlene Carol Lind Homer Alaska 99603 (907) 235-6761 email: Darlene Lind