Through professional imagery and online marketing guidance, I am showcasing the artistic work of members of the Island Artists Gallery.

Artist Feature: Pat Kehoe

Watercolorist & Commercial Fisherwoman

Sitka, Alaska 1980.

It had been six weeks since Pat Kehoe’s arrival in Sitka. Six weeks spent camping amongst the eagles and ravens, the returning salmon, and even a disgruntled bear who swiped angrily in her direction reminding her quickly of the small and inconsequential space humans occupy on this planet. In those six weeks, Pat envisioned a whole new life -- one filled with the beauty, sounds and smells of life on the edge of the ocean. With a bit of luck and a little ingenuity, Pat has managed to live clinging to the edge of that ocean ever since. First in a tiny, rustic A-frame cabin, and soon after the opportunity came to buy and repair an old, dilapidated, cannery rigging scow. Pat anchored it near an island outside of Sitka, bought a beat-up old plywood skiff with a couple of fussy Mercury engines and she was set to tackle this watery world. 

For Pat, the atmosphere of Sitka and Southeast Alaska spoke in terms of water and watercolors. With a tiny, travel set of paints and a couple of brushes in hand, she took off on a series of longlining and trolling jobs. She explored Alaska from Ketchikan to the Aleutians, sneaking in treasured moments to paint her ocean landscapes. It was a wildly exhausting time, wrestling with fish that sometimes outweighed her several times over. Whoever was running the roller would shout, “Whale!” and the rest of the crew would rush to assist, sinking a gaff into the fish, and working with the roll of the boat, to haul giant halibut on board. Their largest fish was 425 pounds dressed and many more came close. Never the strongest person on the boat, Pat made up for it with her relentless tenacity and ability to work for 36 hours straight. That is what the crew did in the derby days of halibut and black cod fishing. Pat met her future husband, Howard, at the Juneau Folkfest, and the next year when he needed a deckhand, the two combined forces.  Fishing together ever since, Pat and Howard’s crew grew as they raised their two daughters on the sea.

The thrill of the catch and the beauty that surrounds her Alaskan adventures shape Pat’s artistic journey. Her work features many of the creatures that have met their fate aboard her boat. Pat has even been known to stop her guests from eating dinner until she’s done painting the crab entree. With a wish to share the beauty of Southeast Alaska and a desire to foster Sitka’s artistic community, Pat was a founding member of the  Island Artists Gallery. And still today, Pat is always working to interpret life on the edge and the creatures she finds there.

Artist Feature: Helen Mercado

Tlingit Beader & Drum Maker