Jacob Wilson (Inupiat)
A series of atmospheric, mixed-media drawings inspired by memories of northern Alaskan vistas are on view in “Inupiatscapes,” a new exhibit now through March 29, 2009, at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 Central St., Evanston.
The exhibit of six letterbox-format drawings is the first solo show for Alaska-born Jake Wilson, 39, who is of Inupiat descent. (The Inupiat are an Inuit people of Alaska’s northern regions.) Wilson is pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and also studied art at the University of Minnesota.
Wilson created the widescreen drawings on paper using graphite dust, gesso, and charcoal. “Expansive pictures are something I gravitate to often,” he writes in an exhibit fact sheet. The works were completed in 2008 and 2009.
The spare, elemental drawings of steep hills and clouds — Wilson describes the works as having an “ethereal feel” — reflect memories of the central Yukon River region where he was raised.
