Schwartz-Yeager opens pop-up shop until Christmas

From the subtle shifts in an ocean current to the play of light and shadow on a snow-topped mountain, the work of Wrangell artist Brenda Schwartz-Yeager captures the ever-changing landscapes of coastal Alaska. The painter, who was born and raised on the island, will be displaying her work at a pop-up shop in the Stikine Inn throughout the month of December.

"It feels really nostalgic to be back in this space," she said. "I think it's been like 20 years or something since I've been exhibiting artwork in this building." She used to display her work in the Inn before it was renovated, and since then has occupied a variety of storefront locations around town. However, when the pandemic started, she didn't want to be "tied to an exhibit space" and relied primarily on online and out-of-town sales.

"It's always fun to be at a place like this, where you get to visit with people and get the opportunity to tell them about a piece," she said, instead of selling paintings to strangers throughout the Lower 48 and to collections around the globe, as she often does.

Since Schwartz-Yeager does much of her work on location, observing coastal scenes from a boat that serves as both studio and fishing vessel, many of her paintings have stories associated with them. One work depicts a moose inspecting a small boat on the shore of the Stikine River, a scene which Schwartz-Yeager actually observed from her seafaring studio, though she used her artistic license to turn the cow into a bull.

The goal of each painting is to capture "a real moment in time," she explained. "Real life on the coast of Alaska doesn't stay static for very long." When working on location, she sometimes dips her brush into the river or ocean and so that "there's a little bit of that piece of the ocean embedded in the painting." She often paints on nautical maps to further emphasize the relationship between her work and the places that inspire it.

Schwartz-Yeager, who grew up on commercial fishing vessels, learned to paint to pass the long hours she spent on boats and "indelibly save" the beautiful things she saw on the water. "I often thought that Southeast Alaska kind of looks like a watercolor painting."

The pop-up will be open between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday until Christmas. On Sundays, hours will be shorter and more flexible, lasting roughly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. She will also extend her hours into the evening during the Jolly Shopping weekend.

The shop contains gift options that cater to every price point, from bookmarks for $1.50 to limited-edition prints to original watercolors that run into the hundreds of dollars. Schwartz-Yeager's work is also for sale on stickers, water bottles, notepads, luggage tags and other stocking-sized items.

For those who are curious about her artistic process, Schwartz-Yeager has set up a small workspace and will be painting live at the pop-up location.