Jacqueline Madsen

Medium: Carving, Mixed Media

Jacqueline Madsen has been making art since she was young – drawing, painting and carving driftwood. Her mother provided encouragement and the materials, as did her older siblings and teachers. Growing up in Kodiak, nature has always been an inspiration for her. Today, she still use many found natural materials in her – everything from beach glass to driftwood.

“I enjoy carving wood – making traditional Alutiiq-inspired masks and figures. But I have found increasing joy in making mixed-media shadow boxes and spirit houses in the last few years. With these pieces, I combine a background in gouache watercolor, papers and encaustic medium with miniature wood carvings and hand-built boxes. The boxes often feature archetypal symbols: trees, birds and nests, fish – vignettes of life in Kodiak.

In 1989, I started showing and selling my work at local Kodiak art shows. The initial shows were sponsored by the Visual Arts League, which became the Kodiak Island Arts and Crafts Co-op (KIACC) in about 1995, and later obtained a grant to open The Dancing Salmon Gallery in Downtown Kodiak. The gallery was open for about three years, through my departure in 1998. I was an officer of the KIACC, and an original founding member of the gallery.

In the winter of 1998, I moved to the Puget Sound area of Washington. I continued exhibiting my work there and working on a commission basis for some patrons. I have taught art lessons and workshops to children ages six to teenagers, and to adults.”